Kirsten Carlisle and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by missykirstenblack
Summary: A thirteen year old orphan finds out she is a witch and is accepted into Hogwarts for her third year. This will follow the original story line of Harry Potter starting from the third year. Rating because of language. UNDER EDITING!
1. Blake Orphanage REVISED

**REVISED. 12/25/12. **

**A/N: This chapter is revised for the last time 6/18/2013. The first chapter seemed way too long, so the second part is chapter two.**

**Disclaimer: I'd like to add that I do not own anything Harry Potter related, but I do own the idea of the Simurghs.**

"Kirsten Carlisle!"

A wretched voice screamed at a young girl, the chattering voices halted to a stop. Rolling her eyes, the young girl turned around to come face to face with a slender woman. Brown curls reached the woman's shoulders, her light blue eyes piercing the teenager's. Unfortunately, for the woman, the cold look that she sent the girl's way did not faze her in the slightest as she stared right back at her.

"Really, there's no need to yell," the girl called Kirsten said, both of their eyes never wavering. "I'm right here."

The woman's blue eyes narrowed further in Kirsten's direction and the young girl mimicked her.

"Well, Carlisle, if you hadn't noticed, you have _once again_ disrupted my class with your sorry attempt at bunking my class," Mrs. Harrington said, irritated.

The young girl's grey eyes looked past her at the clock.

"Now why would I ever attempt such a trivial sport?" Kirsten replied jokingly, refocusing her gaze back on the woman. She grinned at the woman before continuing, "Takes some serious skill, you know."

"Miss Carlisle, when you come back to school next year, I will make sure you get detention for—Carlisle, get back here now!" Mrs. Harrington screamed as the girl started her way towards the door. Kirsten cringed at the shriek and immediately pitied the woman's husband.

Their arguments must be wretched.

Turning back around to face the furious woman, Kirsten smiled slyly.

"That's ridiculous, Stephanie. How many times have I missed your class this year?" she said, tilting her head and shrugging her shoulders_._ "It's a pity that no one else has bothered to inform you of how horrid you're classes are. Or you, to be honest."

A look of shock crossed Mrs. Harrington's features as Kirsten finished that sentence and the teenager laughed. However, Kirsten's laughter died down as she caught the murderous expression on the teacher's face along with the fact that said teacher was walking towards her.

"Carlisle…"

"And I'm outta here," the girl muttered quickly, taking quick strides out the door that led into the wide hallway.

Readjusting the strap of her bag, Kirsten glimpsed over at the furious woman exiting the classroom and gave her a mocking wave. The bell rang a second later; releasing a wave of students and aiding in Kirsten's disguise to get out of the school. Shouts in the distance reached Kirsten's ears, calling her name. One thing she wasn't going to do was turn to face them. She had done just that the previous term and never heard the end of it.

The excited chattering students swarmed the area around the grey eyed girl. She heard bits and pieces of where some of the students were going on holiday as they explained to their friends. Stepping through the opened doorways, Kirsten let out a sigh as she thought of what was ahead for her.

"Damn, am I going to get an earful from the Wicked Witch of the West," she muttered to herself, but a small grin happened to appear on her face at the memory of watching _The Wizard of Oz_. If only it was as easy as throwing water.

To delay the punishment, the girl decided not to get on the bus back home.

Kirsten's feet guided her on the little trek home as she walked along the pavement. Within two hours, she found herself making her way up the steps to the building that she had lived in for the past twelve years of her life: Blake Orphanage. Opening the door, she glanced around to see if the matron, Madame DuPont, was anywhere in sight.

With no sign of the woman near or the sound of her heels clicking against the hardwood floor, Kirsten checked the stairway stretching from her left. Trying not to apply much pressure on the floorboards, she headed towards her goal. She crept past the office door and into the large living room. All heads turn in Kirsten's direction when she peered through the door, and despite several looks of loathing, she let out a small "ha!" in triumph. Her eyes landed on the stairs leading up to the bedrooms.

"Carlisle…"

"Ah, damn," Kirsten muttered.

The young trouble maker reluctantly turned herself around to face the origin of the new voice. A blonde woman with piercing brown eyes stared the girl down. "I was on the phone with one of your teachers today."

Whirling around the blonde woman began to walk off in the direction of her office. Kirsten blinked back in surprise at the calmness the woman expressed, while motioning for her to follow.

_Well, that's odd._

"Did she tell you that I was arguing with her again?" Kirsten asked, testing the tall woman that she was walking beside. She glanced at Madame DuPont and saw that her pursed lips were thinning into nothingness.

"_Yes_."

"Well, I wasn't," the girl said simply, shrugging her shoulders, "I was merely disagreeing with what she said in class." And with that said, Madame DuPont's eyes narrowed into slits as she opened the door for the teenager to enter.

Kirsten's eyes landed on a woman sitting down comfortably at DuPont's desk. A green tweed outfit covered her wide frame and the disgusting woman looked up at Madame DuPont. Then her eyes landed to linger on Kirsten's form.

_Hmm…not wearing her hideous pink getup again? Maybe she finally saw how terrible it looked on her._

Glancing back down at the papers on her desk, the wide woman piled them quickly into a folder and stood up.

"Well, look who it is," Kirsten muttered, making herself comfortable in the seat placed in front of the desk. "It's the She-devil herself."

"Hello to you too, Kirsten," a high girlish voice exited the woman's mouth. Her lips curled up into a nasty smile. "Have a _lovely _holiday."

_That bloody b —_

"Are you even listening to me?" DuPont snapped, looking irritated beyond belief and settling herself down in her chair. Kirsten turned her head around to face the administrator with her brow furrowed as she tried to come up with the bits she heard of Madame DuPont's barking.

"Yeah, you mentioned some bull — _words_ along the lines of how I inappropriately addressed Mrs. Harrington… that embarrassed her in front of the entire class," Kirsten told her, hoping that it was something along those lines. She inwardly sighed with relief when the woman did not begin to berate her for not recalling the one-sided conversation correctly. "I think it's very kind to call someone by their first name. It means that we're friends, right Catherine?"

Another stupid move. She really need to stop infuriating the hell out of everyone.

"That is the thirteenth time you acted out this year in class," DuPont said, glaring at the grey eyed girl.

"It's not my fault the woman has it in for me!" Kirsten responded, crossing her right leg over her left and leaning back in her seat.

"You are not allowed out of the orphanage unless I say otherwise," she stated, moving several papers off her desk. Biting her tongue, Kirsten tried her hardest not to come off as angry so DuPont wouldn't know that she was actually furious for a change.

Not as bad as last year.

"Not even for a happy stroll in the neighborhood?" Kirsten asked cheekily. The woman raised up a thin blond eyebrow in response.

_Damn it._

* * *

"So, Carlisle, grounded for the whole summer holiday, _again_?"

Kirsten heard a joyful voice gloat. She merely glanced in the direction of the voice to see the honey brown haired girl that had always despised her. Kirsten's eyes rolled at the other girl's feeble attempt to get her riled up. Though despite the foul greeting, the mischievous teenager threw a smile at the brunette and the group of girls gathered around the sofa in the living room. They weren't so bad when you get used to them.

"Oh yes, Victoria. My time spent in this magnificent and elaborate room will be the most outstanding summer I've had my whole entire life," Kirsten replied sarcastically, heading towards an empty armchair, which was more shifted away from the group of girls. One of the girls in the group whispered "_freak"_ and the whole group of girls started to giggle.

It was funny, really, that she had to have a little group of girls laugh at Kirsten in order to make Victoria feel better.

Kirsten glanced their way before looking out the window, and then looked at them again as a plan formulated in her mind to shut them up.

"Sociopath is a much better term," Kirsten informed them knowingly.

The girls looked on with confused expressions on their faces with the exception of two.

"What are you talking about, Carlisle?"

"Well, you see, a sociopath lacks a conscience. I was reading a book of general psychology at a bookstore one time and found out symptoms of future sociopaths…"

"Wait a minute, Kirsten. When the bloody hell do you ever read?" one of the girl's asked, amusement clearly evident in her voice. Kirsten's eyes met the owner of the voice and she gave her a little grin.

"Last holiday," she reminded the girl, and Sophia let out a low chuckle.

"Now I remember. Madame made you —"

"Yeah, I think we all know and remember those dreadful lessons," Kirsten interrupted impatiently, not trying to divert the subject any longer. "Some sociopaths tend to go on a murdering rampage, and still don't regret their actions."

"So put two and two together, and you equal Kirsten doing something appalling to you in your sleep," she said rather happily, adding a little smile to further their mingled horror and shock.

Kirsten's eyes traveled across the room to the television where many of the others were seated around. Blue eyes caught her attention, however, and she saw a smirk spread on the owner's lips.

"Hi Kirsten," he greeted. Kirsten watched the boy with a slight smile gracing her lips.

"Hey, Aaric."

The other boys and girls around him, eyed the two and then turned back to watch their program. From the corner of her eye, Kirsten saw Victoria seething while the other girls were chatting about something from the magazines in their hands. It was no secret Victoria liked Aaric ever since he stepped through the doors two years ago. During the school year he would be shipped off to a boarding school and come back during holidays. Everyone in the orphanage found him fascinating. However, Kirsten found him odd. He was the only one at the orphanage that was open and friendly towards her. And it was obvious that he wasn't fond of Victoria himself.

* * *

"There's a couple coming this evening."

Kirsten eyed the group of girls settled around the television. Once she spotted Victoria among them she continued to walk past.

"And I heard Madame say they are definitely going to adopt," the brunette added smugly.

Kirsten raised an eyebrow at her, wiping the sweat from her brow. She glanced at the stairs and then looked back at Victoria. She really wanted to take a shower after playing a rough game outside with several of the boys.

And Oliver better make her a sandwich…

The boy thought she couldn't score against him. Obviously, he thought wrong.

"Do you realize how much of a killjoy you are?" Kirsten asked her.

"It's definitely not going to be you," she continued, watching Kirsten pick at her sweaty shirt. "Nobody wants to adopt a bitch."

"So will you be hiding up in your room?"

Giggles could be heard from the group of girls. Kirsten smiled at Victoria, who scowled, before turning to head up the stairs.

"Like you did?" Victoria remarked. "Remember Patrick?"

Silence filled the room. No one spoke as the name resonated through the room and Kirsten froze in her tracks. Slowly, she turned to face Victoria.

"_What_?"

Victoria couldn't possibly know what happened. How could she know about him? It was years before she came to the orphanage. Hell, it was years before most of the orphans here were orphans.

"Nobody likes you, Kirsten," Victoria continued. "I can't blame Patrick for what he did –"

Kirsten didn't let Victoria finish her sentence as she swung her fist as hard as she could at the girl's face. Victoria landed on the floor from impact and Kirsten stood over her. Both girls continued to glare at one another until Kirsten turned to leave.

Before her foot could reach the bottom step, Kirsten felt hands wrapping around her neck. Reaching for the pair of hands, Kirsten tried to pry the fingers off of her neck but they wouldn't budge. Little black dots began to obscure Kirsten's vision as she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Kirsten jabbed her elbow behind and fell to the floor, taking in as much air as she could. The black dots faded from her vision and she quickly turned to see Victoria, clutching her stomach. It was then that Kirsten almost felt sorry for the girl, but that thought shattered as she felt another sharp pain in her stomach.

Grey orbs met Victoria's navy blue eyes and a pent up fury built up in Kirsten. Victoria's eyes widened as Kirsten brought down a curled fist, swinging it on Victoria's cheek. _Hard_.

Shrieking pierced her ears, but it didn't faze Kirsten in the slightest as she slammed down another fist onto the girl's reddened cheek. The feud ended when a fist collided into the side of Kirsten's face, causing her head to turn to the side and bringing her out of her flurry of punches. Tears began to well up at the hard impact and Kirsten wiped away the evidence of the tears with her shirt.

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

She could hear them again. The sounds. The noises that drove her into a fury. She wanted everyone around her to be hurt. Just like the way these noises were hurting her.

"Leave me _alone_!" Kirsten hissed angrily.

As Kirsten looked back at Victoria, who had been moved several meters away and surrounded by some of her friends, her eyes widened. Victoria's body jerked back suddenly — as if an invisible lasso had been tied around her body — breaking free from her friends' grasps, and was flung right against the wall behind her. It wasn't far and hard enough to knock her unconscious but it still caused Victoria to scream. _Loud._

The blood in Kirsten's veins ran cold while staring at the space Victoria occupied earlier. And it wasn't for Victoria's well-being….

"What did you DO!"

The ear deafening shriek from Victoria's best friend, Kate, brought Kirsten from her reverie, and noticed that the noises finally stopped. With Victoria's ear piercing scream and Kate's deafening shriek, the back door burst open in mere seconds with the boys filing through, sweaty from their soccer game. It wasn't long until Madame DuPont came rushing towards the scene from her office, looking around for the source of panic. Her questioning gaze lingered on Kirsten before they moved to where the girls were all crowded around.

"What happened?" the woman asked, moving to where the other orphans were heading and she bent over Victoria.

"Victoria's just got her ass kicked," Aaric said, trying to control his laughter. However, he failed miserably. His cerulean blue eyes left Victoria's form and looked over at the girl responsible for her condition. Kirsten couldn't help the smirk that slid onto her face when he winked at her, and she noticed that several of the boys were trying to control their laughter as well. It wasn't every day that some of the boys laughed at Victoria's misfortune.

"Aaric, this is no laughing matter," DuPont snapped at the black haired boy. "You two as well, Oliver, Gregory."

"I don't… I don't know…" Kate began when the administrator looked upon her once again, "Kirsten said something really mean to Vicky and she ignored her. But Kirsten punched her…. And then Vicky was telling her to stop and then she gets thrown to the wall. Kirsten wasn't even near Victoria when she threw her. Something just threw her back! Kirsten did something to her!" Kate exclaimed, stifling her quiet sobs and pointing her index finger in the suspect's direction.

Everyone in the room became silent and all eyes were on the accused. Sophia glanced at her guiltily but did nothing to defend her, though the stare coming from Aaric was one of interest; like he knew something that she didn't and it bothered Kirsten. She saw how the sixteen year old boy's eyes flickered over to Madame DuPont, then back at her. The matron, however, stood up from where she was kneeling and whirled around to face Kirsten.

"William, Sophia, take Victoria to my car," the woman instructed, pulling out a pair of keys. As the trio walked away, Kirsten caught a glimpse of Victoria's messy hair and bloody lip. Victoria's eyes narrowed at the sight of Kirsten. It wasn't Victoria's disheveled appearance that got Kirsten's lips twitching upward; it was the sight of the brunette's painfully twisted right arm.

"Explain."

"I started it. Everything. It wasn't Victoria's fault," Kirsten lied; all traces of amusement left her face. There was no way she was going to talk about Patrick here. In front of everyone. Kirsten eyes drifted from the people scattered around the room to Madam DuPont. Her cold brown eyes pierced Kirsten, and the girl knew that this will not bode well.

"And you threw Victoria as well?"

Silence rung throughout the living area with all eyes were on her. A ghost of a smile splayed on Kirsten's face as she looked directly at DuPont.

"Can I throw a cow?" she questioned. With the look on matron's face, Kirsten thought she was clearly going to get slapped right then and there. However, the woman did nothing but glare at her. "Obviously not. She wasn't even close to me –"

"She's lying, Madame!" Kate yelled in Victoria's defense. "She did something weird again! Like that time during the field trip!"

Kirsten's jaw dropped as she stared at Kate in disbelief, and she could feel all the stares once again. Watching the girl in front of her, Kirsten wanted nothing but to punch Kate as hard as she could. As soon as she caught a slight twitch on Kate's face, she realized what was going on. Kate was baiting her. Trying to make her snap.

"You don't even _know _what weird is," Kirsten said, smiling slightly at the girl.

"Go clean yourself up and stay in your room, Kirsten," she heard Madame DuPont command. Kirsten's eyes snapped in the woman's direction.

The trip back to her room was quick and short. No one dared to talk to her and she could hear the whispers coming from the others. It was then that Kirsten made up her mind as she entered her small room.

Closing the door behind her, Kirsten grabbed her schoolbag and dumped the contents out. She watched as the last bits of crumpled paper hit the floor and walked towards the small wardrobe. Several clothes were piled into her bag in a matter of minutes along with a small stack of paper notes and coins and some food that she would casually sneak out of the kitchen.

CLICK.

She shoved the bag quickly in her wardrobe after closing it, and jumped on her bed before the door swung open. Her eyes strayed over to see blue eyes staring curiously at her from her closed door.

"Hey, Aaric," she greeted, somewhat out of breath.

"Hey," he replied, a smile tugging on his lips. Kirsten watched him as he came closer to her. His presence was somewhat demanding. All the kids in the orphanage seemed to love him and respect him. It could be because he was the oldest, just turning sixteen. He sat close to her on her bed and tilted his head, staring at her. And it unnerved her.

"What?" she questioned. "Do I look that bad?"

"Not quite. Just wanted to see how you were," he told her. He reached out for her face, and his fingertips lightly grazed her cheek. Kirsten flinched in pain at his touch. "You have a cut here."

"I can feel that," she said sarcastically, but a small grin made a way onto her face. "And you decided to touch it?"

Her grin widened as she saw scarlet rush to his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Kirsten. I did – I mean, I didn't mean to hurt you. I wasn't thinking at all and –"

"Really, Aaric, it's no problem," Kirsten said, assuring him. "It doesn't hurt much anyway…"

Silence passed between them, and Kirsten felt the lighthearted mood fade away as she glanced at Aaric. His eyes were downcast, looking rather thoughtful as he stared at the floor.

"Is it true?"

_Shit._

Kirsten feigned a quizzical look. He caught the look on her face and continued, "The girls downstairs told everyone else what happened. Did Victoria just slam against the wall?"

Her heart was pounding at this moment. Aaric was the only one who resembled someone as a friend. He didn't know any of the weird events that surrounded Kirsten's life. All the odd occurrences. He was at boarding school for most of the year anyway, so he couldn't. And she wanted to keep it that way. But he would find out eventually.

"I don't know if it was me," she admitted, avoiding his eyes, "but more than likely…do you think I'm odd?"

She felt his fingers against her chin and in the next instance, her eyes met his. She watched his sapphire-like eyes gaze at her curiously. He was too close and Kirsten could feel the blood rush to her cheeks. She could feel his breath on her at this point. He was _way_ too close.

"Why would I?"

Click.

Kirsten immediately took the chance to scoot away from Aaric and turned to look at her now opened door. Blond hair peeked through, and she caught sight of Oliver. He smiled slightly in her direction before focusing on Aaric.

"Mate, that bloody woman's coming over soon –"

Kirsten didn't bother with listening to the rest. All he had to do was mention that bloody woman. Madame DuPont she could deal with, but her cousin? _No._ She imagined the woman, wearing her pink getup. The last time she saw her was when school let out, and she wanted to keep it that way. That woman was borderline insane and to think that she'd be in a room alone with her? Especially after what she apparently did to Victoria?

It was all in a matter of seconds that Kirsten made up finally made up her mind.

"Would you two mind carrying this conversation elsewhere?" she asked both Oliver and Aaric. The blond boy nodded his head and gave her another small smile.

"Good luck with her, mate," he told Kirsten. Then a look of realization appeared on her face. "Almost forgot to give you this."

She didn't realize that he had been holding a sandwich in his hand. With all the events that have recently occurred, Kirsten forgot that he owed her a sandwich since she scored a goal on him.

"Thanks, Oliver," she said, giving him a smile and the boy left her room. Her eyes landed on Aaric next.

"We can talk later?" he asked, his blue eyes watching Kirsten.

The smile she sent him was nowhere near as genuine as the numerous smiles she would usually throw his way. He probably knew what she was planning. But she wouldn't admit it out loud. He would probably try and stop her. And she needed them to leave before that bloody woman would arrive.

"Definitely," she lied. "Goodnight, Aaric."

"Night, Kirsten."

Before he could walk out of her room, she grabbed his hand. "Thank you."

"Any time," he said, gripping her hand.

Kirsten thanked God that DuPont kept the lock on her door. As soon as Aaric left her room, she bolted the door and rushed towards her wardrobe. Pulling out her bag, she placed her sandwich in there she made sure it was secured before throwing it over her shoulder. She surveyed her room and smirked slightly for leaving her bed unmade. Memories of all the lonely nights she spent in this room. This was the room that she grew up in for the past twelve years of her life. And she was finally going to leave. Leave everyone behind. Aaric was going to be the only one that she truly missed around here. He was her only friend. Maybe she could write to him. And he'll leave for boarding school in a matter of weeks. Kirsten sighed in frustration, staring at the door and at the window near her bed. As much as she cared about him, she had to leave. This place was hell.

"Sorry, Aaric," she muttered, opening the window. Her eyes cast down at the ground and she took a deep breath. She absolutely despised heights. And her living on the second floor didn't help the problem. She could feel her heart racing within her chest. She glanced at the large tree branches stretching towards her window, and was glad that trees surrounded the building.

Overlooking the room one last time, Kirsten turned towards the window.

* * *

An hour passed when Kirsten found herself walking alone on a deserted street with houses on the opposite side. She decided it was better to go to West End first before leaving for good.

"GRRRR…."

Her feet stopped in its tracks and she jerked her head around in alarm at the sudden noise. Kirsten's eyes landed on a large black bear-like creature several feet away from her. For the second time that night, Kirsten's heart was beating rapidly.

She observed the outline of the creature and summed up that there was no way she could outrun it. The creature came closer, causing the young teenager to back onto the bare street. As the animal moved outside of a shadow, Kirsten realized it was only a dog. It didn't look menacing in the least considering the fact its teeth was no longer bared in her direction. Instead the dog simply looked at her. Her heartbeat considerably slowed down with the realization and she let out a chuckle.

_It was actually kind of cute._

She heard a grumbling noise and smiled at in the dog's direction. She pulled her bag off her shoulder and pulled out the sandwich Oliver made for her earlier. Kirsten cringed a bit as she saw some mustard smeared on one of her shirts. She ripped the sandwich in half and held it out for the dog. The dog didn't move.

"Take it," she muttered. She decided to take a bite from the other half in order to encourage the dog to eat. "I heard your stomach growling, mate," she added, her mouth full. She hadn't realized how hungry she really was and was happy that she had some snacks on her.

It took several more seconds until the dog took ahold of the sandwich in her outstretched hand. Only a minute passed when both Kirsten and the dog finished with their food. It was odd that Kirsten found herself comfortable with a stray dog.

"I hope you don't have any fleas," she joked, talking to the dog once and scratching behind his ears. "You are a boy, right?"

The dog barked lightly in response as if it understood what she just asked.

"Well, then. You wouldn't mind being my partner —"

She stopped immediately when her peripheral vision caught sight of a bright light approaching her and the dog. Everything happened so fast, that she didn't realize what happened until she found herself lying down on the hard pavement of the sidewalk. A heavy pressure left her chest and she heard the horn of a car blaring in the distance. _A car almost ran her over…_

"You just saved my life," Kirsten muttered, closing her eyes as she rolled onto her back. She expected to hear a light bark or feel a muzzle against her cheek. What she didn't expect was a voice to respond.

"You're welcome."


	2. The Knight Bus REVISED

**A/N: The original first chapter seemed too long for my tastes, so this is the other ha****l**f.

Kirsten's eyes snapped open and opened her mouth to scream. However, a filthy hand beat her to it, muffling the sound. She tried to move away from the man's grip and she heard the man grunt after kicking him. "If you shut up and stop struggling, I won't hurt you."

Processing what he just said, Kirsten decided to stop struggling and felt the man's grip loosen, his hand no longer on her mouth.

Out of all the damn things this had to happen.

Breathing in the fresh air deeply, Kirsten turned around slowly to get a good look at the strange man. And with the help of the full moon, she got a better look at the man than she thought she would have. Long, matted hair framed his gaunt and sunken face.

"Oh my God. What the hell did I do to deserve this?" she muttered to herself in a low voice. "I'm going to be killed by some sort of corpse!"

Unfortunately, the man heard her as he let out a bark of laughter.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the man said. A nervous chuckle erupted from the teenager's throat as she looked at the man uneasily. He was watching her carefully; eyes never leaving her. But under the scrutinizing gaze, Kirsten felt like she could trust his word in not hurting her. At the moment anyway.

"Okay," she said, holding her tongue before she could add in a comment that would surely piss him off.

"I just want you to do me a favor is all, alright? And then you can go," he growled, looking at his hand. "Do your parents know you're out here?"

Kirsten took her eyes off him and looked up at the sky. His mention of parents somewhat threw her off. Her silence caused him to look at her. She could feel his gaze.

"My parents are long gone," she told him softly, looking into his grey eyes. "I've lived in that damn orphanage all my life."

"You ran away."

"No. I'm on an exciting adventure to hunt dragons with my best friend Peter Pan in Netherland," she told him sarcastically, changing the mood drastically.

"Isn't it Neverland?" he corrected, unsure himself.

"Netherland, Neverland…same thing," she said dismissively. The man shook his head at her and she looked at him again. His grey eyes seemed vacant and she tilted her head to get a better look. "You look strangely familiar, have I met you before?"

He averted his gaze to the ground but she could see his lips twitching up into a twisted smile. She waited several seconds but no response.

"Okay then… did you see where that dog went?" she asked him.

He looked at her with an arched eyebrow as if telling her to put everything together. Kirsten groaned at the man's look.

"Don't tell me…"

"I thought I already made it clear earlier when I said, 'I know,'" he said.

"So you're trying to convince me that you were the dog," she said slowly, trying to comprehend what the man wanted her to think. Did he think she was five?

He shrugged his shoulders in an indifferent way as he looked at her with a smile on his face, revealing his yellow teeth.

She gave him a small smile as the events of the day recurred in her head. "Well, I hear noises in my head. That makes the two of us."

He raised an eyebrow at her confession, as if wanting her to explain. "They sound like heartbeats. Drives me insane actually, considering I threw a girl halfway across a room today."

His curiosity immediately piqued and he frowned slightly as he stared her down. "You're eleven."

It wasn't a question.

"Thirteen, actually," she corrected him. "Plan on telling me your name?"

Silence.

"Padfoot."

She shot him a look of interest and she mentally scolded herself. She didn't want her curiosity to get her killed, but who names their child _Padfoot._ It sounded more like a nickname.

"Don't let your curiosity get the better of you. Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to know me," he said, practically reading her mind.

There was another moment of silence when Kirsten watched the man once again. He was staring at his left hand. Her eyes landed on a gold band wrapped around a finger on his left hand.

"Married?"

His eyes left the gold band on his finger and landed on her. She heard him grunt as an answer but couldn't tell what that meant as he looked back down.

"Kids?"

"One…but…she was only a baby last time I saw her…" His voice was so quiet, and she couldn't believe how soft it went. "Then they both…"

He didn't finish his sentence. But Kirsten didn't need him to finish it anyway. She could tell what happened.

Watching the man staring at the ground, Kirsten Carlisle found herself feeling sympathetic for him. She never had to go through such a hard loss. She never had something to lose. Her parents were gone when she was a baby. There were only a small amount of people in her life. And one already left without even saying goodbye. He was her best friend in primary school. She smiled as she remembered the green eyed boy; hoping life was going well for him. And then there was Aaric…

She shook her head at the thought of the teenager and focused her attention back on the man.

"I'm Kirsten," she told him. If she didn't know any better, she would say that she said the wrong thing because of the man's response. At first he still looked quite sullen. Then his eyes got wider as he began to stare at her. She jumped back as his eyes widened incredibly.

"And you said you were hearing heartbeats?"

"Yes, for a while now –"

"Do you know your birthday?"

"It's the day after Christmas," she answered quickly, watching him carefully. "It's weird that they were able to know my birthday, now that I think of it …They said I was found on Halloween …"

However, she stopped rambling as she noticed the man staring her down.

"Look I don't know what I said wrong, but…" she said, putting her right arm up as a way to protect herself.

"The last thing I want to do is hurt you — I just can't believe –"

BANG!

Whirling her head around, Kirsten's vision was blinded by a sudden light and on instinct she jumped back from the empty road and in an unbelievable second later, a huge vehicle with a gigantic pair of wheels pulled up in front of her. She spotted golden words written on the side _The Knight Bus_.

Her jaw dropped.

_What the hell?_

A young man around the age of eighteen or nineteen in a purple uniform leaped off the bus and in front of her.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening," the young man said. He looked at her with a slight frown on his face. _Do I look that horrible?_

"What happened to —"

"Nothing," she said, cutting him off before he asked anymore questions. Like he should be asking them anyway… Did she just hear him say witch and wizard?

"Where would you like to go, Miss…?" he said, trailing off so she can give him her name. She looked around to see if the man was standing beside her but he was nowhere near her. Instead of seeing him, she spotted the large bear-like dog once again on the other side of the street.

"Kirsten," she added quickly, looking up at him with a curious gaze. "Did you say anywhere?"

"Sure did, Kirsten," he replied.

"So how much would it be to get to West End?" she asked, pulling out money from her pocket. "On Charing Cross road?"

"Eleven sick —" Kirsten looked up at him in time to see him eyeing the money. "Oh you have them Muggle money?" he asked, turning back to the _Knight Bus_.

_Muggle money? What the bloody hell is this bloke jabbering about?_

"Oi! Ernie! How much of them Muggle money to get on the Bus?" he yelled back, dropping his professional manner.

"Three pounds," she heard another voice mumble back.

Pulling out three one pound coins, she handed them to the young conductor and made sure to put the rest of her money securely in place.

"Now where is your luggage?" he asked, peering his head around to see. She looked past the boy to see if the dog was still there but he's long gone.

Dismissing any thoughts, Kirsten motioned to the bag on her shoulder.

"That all you got?" he asked disbelievingly, looking at the bag.

"I travel light," she replied, boarding the bus after he nodded his head. Her mouth dropped open in shock. She must've been drugged. Oliver must have put something in that sandwich of hers.

Instead of seats, there were half a dozen brass bedsteads beside the curtain windows; candles burning on the bedside tables. Gazing at the interior of the bus, her eyes landed on the only other passenger on the bus. Jet black hair framed the face of a bespectacled boy, who was sitting on the bed behind the driver. His eyes caught hers and she found him staring back.

"You can get the one next to that boy over there. His name's Neville Longbottom," Stan told her, pointing to a bed right next to the boy. "Lucky he asked for West End before, because that's the next stop."

The young teenager walked to the bed and settled herself down. She had either gone mad, she was on a crazy bus, or she was dreaming.

"Neville, this right 'ere is Kirsten," Shunpike said, dropping his professional manner once again. She saw the boy's familiar emerald green eyes look curiously at her behind his round spectacles. He strongly reminded and resembled her old friend from primary school. The way his hair was messily matted down. His green eyes. His scrawny figure.

It can't be —

"So you going to Diagon Alley like Neville here?"

"Dia-what?" she asked, confused. _What the hell's he talking about?_

"You foreign or sumthin'?" Stan asked, curious himself.

"No," Kirsten answered. "Yeah, I'm uh…going to Diagon Alley," she added. Whatever the hell that place was.

"Righto not gonner be long," Stan said. "'Old tight, then…"

BANG.

Kirsten's body jerked backward from the initial speed of the bus and she came to the quick conclusion of lying down on the ground until the bus would come to a halt.

"So, God, I know I haven't prayed since…ever, but I really, really need for you to have mercy on me because so far this night has been a living nightmare. I know that I haven't been a good child and all, but running into strange homeless men isn't my thing—" Kirsten mumbled under her breath, but was cut off as her head slammed against something else and she groaned out in pain.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically, glancing up at the ceiling and rubbing her head. "You really answered my prayer."

Pushing herself off the ground, Kirsten looked to see that the object that slammed into her was the boy named Neville. His green eyes looked up at her and she noticed a scar running down on his forehead. He noticed what she was staring at and hurriedly matted his hair down on his forehead, concealing his scar.

"_Harry?_"

His green eyes widened in shock, confirming who he was. Kirsten shook her head, and looked around in confusion. Her night literally couldn't get any stranger.

"You two 'right? We're already here," Shunpike said, coming closer. Already having dealt with crazy people for too long, Kirsten grabbed her bag and bolted straight from the bus.

The night air of London brought relief to her senses for the first time that night.

At the sight of the man in front of her, Kirsten let her feet lead her off into a different direction in a quick pace. Glancing back behind her, she saw Harry being greeted by the strange man into a pub. The man was wearing a long, pinstriped cloak. _A cloak._

* * *

Rounding another corner, she walked down the street and spotted her destination. The teenager took a deep breath as she opened the door, her mind still reeling. A familiar stench met her nose in greeting as she walked around the filled tables, passing the hostess.

"Kirsten?"

At the mention of her name, Kirsten turned around to see a dirty blond man in his mid-twenties gazing down at her.

"Hey, Alec," she said, grinning up at him. "You've seen Dan?"

"He's gone for the weekend," he replied. His eyes narrowed as he examined Kirsten's face. "What the hell happened –?"

"Just a small fight," she told him, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm _fine_."

The man sighed as he looked at her. Kirsten knew she looked like a wreck. She could feel her left cheekbone and eye throbbing; no doubt it will be a black eye by morning. The scabbed over cut on her lip wasn't helping the situation either. She didn't even want to think about it at this moment.

"I just dropped by to say hi before I go," she said, and immediately regretted it as Alec's eyes narrowed again.

_Think quickly, Kirsten._

"What do you mean before –"

"My mum wouldn't be too happy that I've been gone this late. Taking a cab back, mate," she cut him off. He nodded his head in understanding, but kept his eyes narrowed. Her eyes surveyed the pub before they went back to Alec, and she smiled. "Do you have paper and a pen?"

He nodded his head and Kirsten watched as he went behind the counter. A small smile made its way on her face. This young man and his brother helped her so much in the course of one year. She remembered when she first met them during the first week of the summer holiday last year. They let her clean some of the tables for a decent amount of money after she told them she wanted to save up for some books she saw at a nearby store. As much as they helped her, she never got round to telling them she was an orphan.

The smile faded from her face when Alec came back, handing over the pen and paper to Kirsten. It took her several minutes to write down what she wanted on paper before folding it and holding it in her outstretched arm.

"For you and Dan," she told him, placing the folded note in his palm and closing his fingers. His hazel eyes met hers. "I better get going."

Before she could leave, she felt a pair of arms enclose around. She smiled slightly into his chest as she wrapped her arms around him as well.

* * *

The light breeze of the night hit her face and Kirsten involuntarily shivered. She needed to hurry before Alec actually read the note. Her legs carried her quickly down Charing Cross only to stop in front of the place that bus dropped her off.

The green eyed boy was brought back to mind as she stared at the door he went inside of with that man. She couldn't be wrong about who he was. That lightning bolt-like scar that ran down his forehead was more than enough proof. He still looked the same, just a bit taller.

Kirsten grabbed ahold of the knob to the pub and opened the door to enter. As she walked in, she observed the grim looking pub. It definitely didn't resemble the pub she entered earlier.

"This isn't shady at all," Kirsten mumbled to herself, glancing around the place. The man from earlier, wearing the same cloak, came into view as he appeared from a room beyond the bar.

"Excuse me, but what is this place called?" she asked the man. He stopped fastening his cloak and looked up to face her.

"My _word_," the man breathed, moving closer to Kirsten. He blinked several times while surveying the girl before him.

"Do I really look that bad?" Kirsten muttered, frowning. The man either ignored her or didn't hear her. She hoped for her sake that it was the latter.

"You can't be…dear, what is your name?" he asked cautiously.

She almost laughed. This conversation was somehow turning into a similar conversation that she had with the man named Padfoot.

"Kirsten Carlisle," she answered, confused but she stared at him curiously as he muttered to himself.

"Can't be….same first name….surname's different though," he mumbled incoherently. Her eyes narrowed at the portly man and she sized him up. She was very tall for her age and was notably taller than the man in front of her. If need be she could easily take him or outrun him.

"Listen, I only wanted to know the name of this place. I thought a friend of mine entered through here," she told him, wheeling around to leave the shady pub.

"Don't leave," the portly man said abruptly.

"Sorry?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Where are your parents, Kirsten?"

An old man in a pub is asking her where her parents were…. It was a definite time to get the hell out of there.

Wrenching the door open, she felt the cool night air hit the side of her face as it entered the room; her eyes not leaving the man so he doesn't make sudden movements without her noticing.

"Nothing strange has happened to you in any way, has it?"

It was not only the question that stopped her from walking out, then and there, but it was the look on the man's face. She let go of the doorknob and faced him; her grip tightening further around the handle.

"I think there have been several strange things. Like that bus I was on earlier, it was completely _mad_," she admitted him, a chuckle escaping her lips. "He was going on about witches and wizards… Like magic even exists!"

"Minister, I thought you have already gone," another voice filled the room. Kirsten's eyes drifted over to the man who just entered the area. An apron over his nightshirt, the man looked at her with wide eyes. Minister? Did she just walk into some sort of strange mob oriented pub?

"That's because magic does exist," the man, referred to as minister, told her. "Kirsten, I believe you are a witch."


	3. Witch REVISED

**REVISED 12/27/12.**

**A/N: Revised slightly on 6/23/2013.**

"A witch," she said aloud rather slowly. Her eyes narrowed as she kept her grey eyes locked on the portly man. The man nodded her head, his eyes watching her carefully.

She eyed him carefully as she tried to assess what in the world was going on. Kirsten always knew she was different. But somebody telling her she was a witch – or the fact that witches and wizards would even exist – was ridiculous. However, weird things have happened around Kirsten for as long as she could remember. Nothing seemed to make sense to her whenever something odd would happen. And this wasn't the first time she saw someone dressed in a cloak.

Kirsten Carlisle decided to do something she never thought to do.

"Care to explain?"

* * *

The thirteen year old found herself seated in a comfortable armchair in a small parlor of the pub. She glanced around the room to see a fire burning in a grate illuminating the handsome pieces of furniture that adorned the room. She found herself observing the portly man; who was taking off his lime green bowler hat and his pinstriped cloak, revealing a bottle green suit. He seated himself opposite from Kirsten, in another armchair.

"Who _are_ you?" she asked curiously. This day was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. What happened at the orphanage, the man and the dog, the odd bus, Harry, and now a man claiming that witches and wizards exist?

"Yes, yes, I apologize for not introducing myself," he said quickly. "I am Cornelius Fudge. The Minister of Magic."

Her eyes narrowed in comprehension as she continued to stare at him.

"So, you're like the Prime Minister….But for the magical people here?" she asked, and he nodded as a response. "So none of this is a joke."

"Not a joke at all," he said sternly. This time she saw his anxious and uncomfortable demeanor ebb away. "I am the Minister of the Ministry of Magic, which in comparison to the Muggle world is the government of the Magical community of Britain. The ministry is branched out into departments as well. For example, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement –"

"Can you show me some magic?" she cut him off, folding her legs onto the chair. If the man didn't like her feet on the armchair, he didn't show it.

He seemed a little startled that she cut him off. Nonetheless, he reached for something in his pantsuit and Kirsten held in her laughter. A wand.

The amused look was wiped off her face, however, when he muttered something and waved the stick. In the next instant, a tray full of treats and two steaming mugs of tea appeared before her on the table that separated the two armchairs. She couldn't help but let her jaw drop at the sight. If she had any doubts about witches and wizards, those flew out the window as she stared at the tray.

"Okay… so we really are witches and wizards," the black haired teenager stated. He nodded his head in response. Most of the things were beginning to make sense to her now. Like what happened back at the orphanage, or those times when she would somehow get away from danger. How she survived the incident on the field trip. But one factor cause Kirsten's brow to furrow in confusion as this processed through her brain.

"Why am I only figuring this out now?" she asked, more to herself than to Fudge. Sure she had been living in an orphanage for her entire life but she should have been smart enough to put all these things together. She remembered seeing oddly dressed people in London whenever Ms. DuPont took some kids into London. Her memory took her back to when she was around five and she met an elderly woman that she would never forget. Her eyes were the same shade of grey as hers, as was the color of her hair and she asked her the oddest questions… and she remembered seeing her stop by the orphanage the day after, arguing with Madame DuPont –

"I'm curious to know why as well," Fudge said, breaking her away from her thoughts. He handed her one of the steaming cups of tea. Looking at the man, Kirsten caught Fudge staring at her in a way that made her feel as if she was at the suspect of an interrogation. And she definitely knew what that felt like. The amount of times she was questioned by DuPont. But Kirsten caught something in his tone and look. The way he said it, the way he was staring at her. As though he thought, for a second, that Kirsten knew she was a witch. All that seemed to vanish as he continued, "It seems that is going to be the mystery that will need to be resolved very soon."

"What do you mean?"

"The Trace, Kirsten," he said. Both of Kirsten's eyebrows shot up in confusion. Before she can open up her mouth and ask, "what the hell is the Trace?" he began to explain.

"So…if there's this Trace on all underage wizards and witches, why couldn't you detect me?" she asked, trying to see if she pieced the information together correctly. A sigh escaped the Minister's lips as he looked down at his folded hands and he lifts his eyes to meet Kirsten's once again.

"For some reason, when you went missing—"

"Missing? When was I missing? I've been an orphan since I was a baby."

"Until now," Fudge said. His eyes narrowed as something registered in his head. "An orphan? Who have you been staying with?"

"I've been at Blake Orphanage since I was two, I think, according to Madame DuPont," Kirsten said, trying to recall the years she had been living there.

"And where is this Blake Orphanage, Kirsten?"

"It's just outside of London. In the Southeast region of England," she said. Fudge's brow furrowed considerably as he stared at her.

"Who was the matron, if I may ask?"

"Madame DuPont," she replied.

"And how exactly did you end up at the orphanage?" he continued his question. Kirsten gave the man a dead look.

"I was two," she told him, then frowned as she remembered what Madame told her. "Madame said that a woman found me wandering in the neighborhood I used to live in on Halloween night. I was crying and she heard me."

"So this woman did not have a name?"

"Not that I can remember," she said dryly. "Remember, that I was only _two_. I couldn't remember a thing."

The man was about to open his mouth to ask another question, but Kirsten was tired of it already. And she had a few questions of her own.

"I don't understand this whole missing nonsense," Kirsten said. "Why was I missing? Are my parents alive or … how do you know that I'm the girl you've been looking for anyway?"

Nothing was making sense to Kirsten at the moment. She understood that she was a witch. That would explain why she was able to do what she couldn't explain. But how did this man take one look at her, and come up with the conclusion that she was the girl who was _missing._

"I am certain that you are her, Kirsten," the minister said, his eyes looking over her once again. "I will report to the ministry as soon as we are done here, see if you still have the Trace, and have a team investigate the orphanage immediately."

He was avoiding her question.

The thirteen year old frowned at the old man, wondering why he didn't want to answer her question upfront.

"Are you not going to answer my question?" she asked, eyes narrowing at the man. She could see the difference in his demeanor right away as she caught his eye. She didn't miss the look of unease that was etched across Fudge's face. From the way he shuffled uncomfortably in his seat to the way he was currently looking at her. A glint in his eyes that she knew well from her earlier years in the orphanage. _Mistrust._

If she didn't know any better, she thought that Fudge was somewhat fearful of her in a way.

"Well, Kirsten… it's quite complicated and I feel as if it is not the right time to explain –"

"I didn't know explanations were difficult at all. It would just save a lot of time if you told everything to me, instead of keeping me in the dark," Kirsten interrupted him. She was getting tired of Fudge's secrecy and it was annoying her. "Forget I asked."

Relief replaced the anxious expression on Fudge's face, and this made Kirsten curious. T

"So, when I was missing wouldn't you still have found me because of the Trace?" she asked. The minister sighed at her question.

"Yes, we would have immediately tracked you down if you were to perform any magic and many young underage children do perform magic," he replied. "I will have to stop by the ministry to go and check on the department first thing tonight."

"But what if I'm not her? I wouldn't be registered then would I? And if I am, how could you have found me either way?"

"No matter where you would be located in Britain, we would be able to detect your magic. It would have been difficult to find you but eventually you would have been found," he said in a matter of fact tone. "And you most likely are the Kirsten that has been missing. I'm certain. We have been trying to look for you for years."

"If you were ever looking," Kirsten muttered.

"As a matter of fact, young lady, we were looking everywhere for you," he said, raising his voice slightly; his face turning a bit pink. "Dumbledore was part of the search himself but after several years we assumed you had died."

Kirsten's brow furrowed in confusion at the Ministers words.

"Who's Dumbledore?"

Fudge shot her a look of disbelief her way before he shook his head and a small smile appeared on his face.

"I'm sorry. I forget that you are new to this," he apologized, clearing his throat. "Albus Dumbledore is the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Very powerful wizard indeed. And I really should send him an owl immediately. Excuse me."

Fudge pulled out his wand once again and with a flick, a thick piece of paper, an envelope, a feather, and jar of some black liquid appeared. Kirsten tried to take a closer look at what he was writing but before she could see a thing, he folded it and placed the thick paper into the envelope. The man walked toward the fireplace and grabbed a handful of some sort of powder, throwing it in the fireplace.

"Dumbledore's office!" Fudge said. Her eyes widened as the flames became an emerald green color and he threw the piece of paper into the fire.

What…the…hell?

However, no words escaped from Kirsten's lips and the Minister caught the look of shock on her face.

"Floo powder," he said. "Much quicker to send the message along than an owl can for this case."

Owl? Did she hear him right?

"What exactly happened to you?" Fudge asked, gesturing towards his face. With the numerous things running through her head, Kirsten forgot that her eye was possibly black by now, and scabs probably formed over the shallow cuts on her face. She softly prodded at the large cut that was on her cheek and felt it scabbed over.

"Got into a bit of a fight," she said, shrugging her shoulders, "with this girl back at Blake. It's honestly nothing."

The Minister of Magic nodded his head and pulled out his pocket watch, glancing her way before putting it back.

"Well, Kirsten, Tom has prepared a room for you. Any questions that you have, I trust Tom can answer. I'll have Tom give you ointment for those injuries, and Dawlish will come by and escort you to Muggle London for whatever else you need. I'd rather not take you to the Ministry because that would, well…start an uproar.

"I'm glad that you are alive and we know that you're safe… however, there is a lot of work to be done now that you're found," he said, pulling on his cloak. He looked at her and smiled. "Good night, Kirsten."

"Do you mind telling me who my parents are?" Kirsten asked, before the man had the chance to leave.

The reaction wasn't what she expected as the Fudge looked back at her with a rather anxious expression, shifting from one foot to the other.

"You're mother passed away almost twelve years ago, but she was an excellent witch," he told her.

"And what about my father?" she asked curious this time about the Fudge's response. If he wasn't nervous before, then he was now. His eyes darted from Kirsten's eyes to the fireplace and he consulted his pocket watch once again.

"There isn't much time for an explanation and I must really be heading off to the Ministry and get things sorted out. Tom will help get you situated," he said quickly, shaking her hand and averting her eyes as much as possible. "Goodnight, Kirsten."

And with that, Fudge disappeared beyond the door where she heard him muttering with whom she thought was Tom. Several seconds passed until the man named Tom entered the room. The balding brown haired man gave her a smile and she returned the kind gesture with a small grin of her own.

"Hello, Mister…" she trailed off, realizing that she didn't know what to call him.

"You can just call me Tom, Miss Carlisle."

"Then you can call me Kirsten."

Nodding his head to the small agreement, he guided Kirsten out of the small private parlor and up a handsome wooden staircase. They both walked down a hallway until Tom stopped in front of a door with a brass number twelve on it which he unlocked and swung the door open for her.

"I suppose you're hungry so I'll bring you some food in a moment and something for your injuries. If you want to clean up, the bathroom is the other door inside," he informed the young witch, heading down the hallway and down the stairs. At the mention of food, Kirsten's stomach growled. But her stomach didn't matter to her at the moment as she walked in the room; her eyes wandering in fascination at the highly polished oak furniture and the welcoming fire crackling in the fireplace. Her eyes traveled to the large four poster bed and a rush of excitement ran through her mind.

She walked closer to her bed to get a better look at the inviting sheets, and almost climbed onto the bed until she remembered that she needed to shower. Turning her head around, she spotted another door that Tom mentioned led to the bathroom. She entered the bathroom and glanced at the mirror to see her reflection stare back.

"Okay," Kirsten said slowly, pulling off the hairband and running a hand through her hair to only have it caught in a knot. "Dirty is an understatement."

Pulling out her hand out of her knotted hair, Kirsten noticed that there were all the necessities she needed in the bathroom and dropped her bag on the floor. In around ten minutes, she exited the bathroom dressed in the sweatpants and the shirt that she packed in her bag. The knock on the door startled her a bit and she walked towards the door. Opening the door, she saw a large tray of food and a small jar with a couple of swabs, while a large cup was balanced in the air in front of Tom; his wand directing the floating objects. Kirsten's jaw dropped once again at the magic being performed in front of her. The tray floated passed her and settled on top of the bedside table. A prickling sensation on the back of her neck made her aware of a pair of eyes on her. She glanced back to see an amused look on the landlord's face.

"Will I be able to do that?" she asked him.

"Of course, you will," he replied. "Should I apply the ointment?"

"No thanks, Tom," she said, smiling. "I can definitely handle that."

"If there's anything more that you'll need, don't hesitate to call. You can leave your tray here when you are finished. Goodnight, Kirsten."

"Night, Tom," she said, closing the door. Kirsten headed towards the nightstand and picked up the jar and a cotton swab. She was about to apply it in front of a mirror settled over a dresser, but went into the bathroom instead. Kirsten looked at herself in the mirror, thankful she was able to take a shower. Pulling her long black curly hair into a ponytail, she was able to apply the ointment to the black eye and the cut on her cheek. She sighed in relief at the cool sensation on her injuries. It was already feeling considerably better. She smiled at her reflection, looking at the way her grey eyes narrowed. Kirsten couldn't wait to see how fast her bruised eye would turn back to its natural shade of brown with the help of the ointment.

It was amazing how content Kirsten felt at the moment.

Exiting the bathroom, Kirsten ran and jumped onto the bed; laughing as she landed on it. She pulled back the covers and grabbed the tray of food and placed it on the bed. Carefully, she got under the covers and brought the tray closer. Taking a sip of the liquid in the cup, the young witch frowned slightly at the strange but tasty flavor. It wasn't bad…it just tasted odd.

Thoughts of Kirsten's entire day whirled in around her mind as she ate her meal. From the moment Victoria was magically thrown back to the wall behind her to the strange dog and man to the Knight Bus to the moment the Minister of Magic stated that she was a witch.

Finishing her meal, Kirsten got out of the bed and set the tray on the bedside table and grabbed her bag. She made sure that the switchblade was secured in the bag along with the other items but something else caught her eye. Pulling it out, she recognized the folded paper to be the newspaper that she grabbed from Alec on the way out of the pub.

BLACK IS STILL ON THE LOOSE AND DANGEROUS

She curiously read the header over again, remembering what the DuPont's cousin said. Black was the man who escaped from a high security prison up north, as if it wasn't unnerving to know the madman was armed too. Unfolding the paper, Kirsten's eyes narrowed in confusion as she looked at the picture of the man. Black hair framed his gaunt face with his light colored eyes staring right at her.

"I know I've seen you…but w—" she stopped, breathing in deeply as she suddenly recognized who this man was. "Oh…my…God…"

_Padfoot._


	4. Ollivander REVISED

**REVISED 12/27/12.**_  
_

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

Kirsten's eyes snapped open at the sudden noise and the sharp pang that hit both her right and left temple. Clutching her head in her heads, she closed her eyes and sunk lower in the soft sheets surrounding her as the strange noise and pain continued. Kirsten bit her lip to stop from screaming, resulting in a small strangled cry; the beating sound continued. All of a sudden it stopped. A shaky but relieved sigh escaped her lips as the sharp pain ebbed away leaving a dull sting to set in. As Kirsten lied under the covers, memories of the first time this strange headache struck her when she turned thirteen. And did it hurt like hell; it was even worse than this and it lasted for what seemed like forever.

And she had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time.

Another sigh escaped her lips as she remembered the dream that she had last night. Part of her was glad that it was a dream due to the whole madman run in fiasco but the other part was mildly depressed since that amazing world was not real and can never be real.

"Minister of Magic," she muttered, chuckling a bit at how wild her imagination must really be. Kirsten shifted her body and noticed the softness of the sheets and the mattress that she was lying in was not the lump of a cot at the orphanage. Frowning at the comfort of the mattress, the thirteen-year-old peeled off the sheets to find herself in the room that she dreamed about last night.

"It wasn't a dream," she whispered, taking in the sight of the room before her. The incident at the orphanage, the Knight Bus, the Minister of Magic, the Trace, Tom, the dog … _Sirius Black_.

Her eyes spotted the now rumpled newspaper mixed in with the sheets. Pulling it out, she shifted uneasily in her spot as the still picture of the man, who called himself Padfoot, stared back at her.

A knock on the door broke her thoughts and she glanced at it before getting out of the bed. She got to the door and with a twist and a pull of the knob, Kirsten was met with a large middle. All the swear words, that she learned to purposely piss off any official, strung together in her mind as her eyes traveled up to see who or what this large thing was. Running was definitely the first to hit her mind_. _But where would she run? And she couldn't even find herself to take the simplest step back when beady black eyes met hers and she heard a sharp intake of breath from beneath the wildly tangled beard.

The largest hands that Kirsten has ever seen belonging to a human, reached out and before she could move, strong arms enveloped her in a bone crushing embrace. She could feel the bones in her body cracking as the man squeezed her body before he placed her feet back on the floor.

"I can't believe it!" the giant of a man said, and noting the size of the man she could not believe what she was seeing either. "Dumbledore sent me ter meet yeh and—"

He stopped after noticing the look of confusion on the girl's face.

"Sorry 'bout that, Kirsten," he apologized. And from what Kirsten could make out, she saw him smiling. "Jus' the las' time I gave yeh a hug, yeh was jus' a lil baby and all. Onl' able ter fit in me hand," he explained.

Realization dawned on her as she looked at the giant man, who hugged her moments ago. He held her when she was a baby? _  
_

"Dumbledore sent me 'here ter give yeh yer letter and get yer Hogwarts supplies," he continued, digging around in the huge coat that covered his body.

Kirsten's eyes widened at this new piece of information while the man pulled out a thick envelope.

"I'm going… to Hogwarts," she said, trying to make sense of what is going on and how quickly her life has turned upside down already. From what Fudge said about Dumbledore being the Headmaster, she could only assume that Hogwarts was a school.

"O' course!" the gigantic man exclaimed, smiling once again. Kirsten couldn't help the corners of her mouth twitching at the stranger's happy mood. It was rather contagious.

"And who exactly are you?"

"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, and I'm also the new Care of Magical Creatures professor," he said, adding the last line with a sense of pride. "But you can just call me Hagrid."

Hagrid held out the thick envelope to Kirsten and she accepted it; excitement bubbling inside of her.

_Miss K. Carlisle_  
_Room 12_  
_The Leaky Cauldron_

Breaking the seal that was holding the flap of the envelope in place, Kirsten pulled out several thick pieces of paper, the material of the paper looked the same that the Minister of Magic used last night, and read the first letter on the top.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of

WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

_Dear Miss Carlisle,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1st. You will be accepted in as a third year, under the circumstances that you are to receive extra lessons after your regular classes. Upon being a third year student, you will be permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends._

_Please give the enclosed permission form to your guardian to sign. We will await your owl no later than August 27th._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

"Oh my God," she muttered in a mixture of fascination and disbelief, raking her eyes over the letter again. After reading it for the second time, the witch looked up at the giant man before her and noticed that he was chuckling at her reaction. "So this school is really real?"

"As real as it gets, Kia," he said. Kirsten raised an eyebrow but smiled anyway at the nickname.

Her eyes roamed the room, where she spotted the newspaper, before landing on Hagrid.

"So did you —"

A loud rumbling cut the rest of her sentence off and Kirsten stared at her stomach. She heard Hagrid chuckling and he patted her shoulder.

"I could answer yer questions over breakfast," he said, patting his own belly. "I could do fer some food meself."

It took only several minutes for Kirsten to get ready as she optioned to just brush her teeth. Her eyes widened at how much her injuries had healed overnight. The cut was almost healed and the bruising was nearly gone.

Getting out of the bathroom, Kirsten and Hagrid both headed down to the pub. Kirsten sat across from him at the table as Tom brought out breakfast for the two of them.

"So you teach Care of Magical Creatures," she said, remembering what he said earlier. "What types of magical creatures are there?"

"There are loads of 'em, from dragons ter unicorns," he said enthusiastically. Kirsten shot up in fascination as she turned her head to see if he was being serious. "I always wanted me own dragon."

"Are there any at Hogwarts?"

"No, but I used ter have one a couple years back. His name was Norbert," he said, a faraway look in his beetle-black eyes. They both ate their breakfast as he began to talk about the four Houses in Hogwarts. A silent but comfortable moment passed between them until she remembered what she wanted to ask him.

"You must've known my parents," Kirsten said, noticing that he nodded his head a little uncomfortable. "How'd they die?"

He shifted in his seat at her question and she swore she saw something between sadness and anger flicker in his black eyes.

"Well erm — yer mum, she was murdered by You-Know-Who."

"Who?" she asked, baffled. Who the bloody hell is called You-Know-Who?

"Right, ya don't know much about the wizardin' world considerin' what happened to yeh," he said. "And I don't like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does, actually," Hagrid added.

"It's fine, Hagrid," she told him, "you don't have to say his name."

"No, yeh should know his name. It's not right if yeh don't," he assured me. "It's Voldemort," he said, shuddering as he said the name, "and he was — Harry!"

Hairy? Why would she care if he was hairy? Or maybe he was a werewolf...

However, Kirsten noticed that Hagrid's face changed from being serious to happy, and that he was no longer looking at her. Following his gaze, Kirsten's eyes rested on the jet black haired boy she saw on the bus last night. The boy was walking towards them, his emerald green eyes went from Hagrid to Kirsten and back again.

"You know, Harry, you were always odd but I guess this just explains it," she said, a grin making way on her face. She could hardly believe that the boy was in front of her. The last she heard was a rumor from a friend of his cousin's that he was transferred into Saint Brutus'.

The boy stared at her for what seemed like ages before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Kirsten? What —"

"Hagrid's here to help the new Hogwarts student," she told him, pointing to herself. "Trust me, Harry, I'm just as surprised as you are."

"You don't seem as surprised," Harry said, shocked look still present on his face.

"Well, I'm screaming on the inside," she said sarcastically. "Do you go to Hogwarts too?"

Harry nodded.

"Yeh — yeh two know each other?" Hagrid asked, looking back and forth from Harry to Kirsten.

"Ever since Dudley pushed him in the mud. Punched the idiot in the eye," she told Hagrid, who still looked utterly startled. "Best friends ever since."

"Yeh're kiddin'!" he exclaimed. The look Hagrid was giving the two was something she couldn't exactly decipher. As if he was looking at something else.

"I thought that was you on the bus. I was trying to talk to you afterward but you ran," he said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her. "You knew it was me."

"That name did throw me off for a while until I saw your scar," she admitted. Her attention wandered to the thick envelope next to her finished breakfast and she pulled out the list.

"So, Hagrid where are we going to find all these things?" the witch asked, her eyes roaming the list of books and equipment.

"Yeh'll see," Hagrid said, smiling at me. "Yeh'll be comin' with us o' course?" he asked Harry.

"Definitely."

Getting to her feet, Kirsten went back up to her room and took a hold of her bag. She couldn't help but think how oddly things suddenly came into place for her. The fact that the Minister of Magic was so _sure_ that she was the Kirsten they were looking for. All she did was walk into a pub late in the evening and he was confident that it was her? Maybe it was her physical appearance. Did she look so much like her mother and father that they were sure?

She definitely stood out from a crowd, that was for sure. Her caramel complexion and curly hair contrasted greatly with her light grey eyes. It wasn't that much of a great thing at all now that she thought of it. Madame DuPont was always able to spot her in a crowd.

Kirsten shook her head and remembered that she came back to her room to get her money. The black haired witch headed downstairs, trying to put her mind in order. Hagrid and Harry led Kirsten through a backdoor into a small little alley, where a brick wall blocked any entrance or exit into the backdoor of the Leaky Cauldron. The girl was about to open her mouth and ask if the trash bin held all her school supplies, when Hagrid pulled out an enormous wand from his coat and tapped it against one of the many bricks. At the touch of his wand, the bricks began to move to the side. A motion she thought would never be possible of the inanimate object. The _wall_ just moved out of their way. She didn't know how she was ever going to get use to magic. But her eyes caught glimpse of what was really behind the brick wall.

Kirsten looked in awe as she saw people bustling around dozens of shops.

"Welcome," Hagrid said, "to Diagon Alley."

"Great isn't it?" Harry said.

"Great? It's…."

Kirsten stopped as her eyes were glued to a building down the crowded street. Towering over all the neighboring shops was a snowy white building.

"I see Gringotts got yer attention," Hagrid said, smiling down at her. "Let's go and get yer money."

Too fascinated by the Gringotts and the shops surrounding it, Kirsten didn't pay close attention to what Hagrid just said. She turned her head left to right as they walked down the street, looking at all the odd things that were being bought and sold.

"That's a goblin," Hagrid mumbled, nodding in the direction of a tiny being as they got closer to Gringotts. Kirsten took notice that the creature was around two feet shorter than her. The swarthy, clever face watched her carefully and he bowed while the trio walked past the bronze doors inside. Words were engraved upon a second pair of doors, this time they were silver:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

"Yeh'd be mad to try and rob Gringotts," Hagrid told her as a pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors. These goblins weren't exactly the ones that Kirsten had imagined in her mind from fairy tales. They looked much nicer in children's books. Then again, they were children's books.

Kirsten's eyes took in her surroundings. There were about a hundred goblins weighing and examining mounds of coins and stones from behind a long counter in the large room. Some goblins were leading people to other doors.

"Hagrid, why are we here?" Kirsten asked him.

"Yer parents left yeh money in their vault," the giant man said, smiling. They walked towards one of the goblins behind the counter. The goblin peered down at the black haired witch before looking at Hagrid.

"We've come to take some money outta Miss Kirsten B —" Hagrid stopped suddenly, eyeing Harry and Kirsten. He then leaned towards the goblin. Kirsten's eyes narrowed at Hagrid.

Hagrid started searching in his pockets and finally pulled out a key but he leaned into the goblin again and started muttering as low as he did before.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered to Harry.

"Yeah," Harry replied, glancing around at the bank. His eyes met Kirsten's and she noted the curiosity that was plain as day on his face. "This is odd."

Kirsten glanced at her green eyed friend questionably.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when Hagrid first took me here we went to my vault to get my money," he said. "And now it doesn't look like we're going to your vault."

Sure enough, nearly five minutes of muttering to the goblin, Hagrid retrieved a large bag from the goblin.

"Are we not going to Kirsten's vault?" Harry asked, glancing at the witch.

"Erm — not today," Hagrid answered, handing Kirsten the bag. The sound of jingling change could be heard and Kirsten opened it to find mostly gold coins with a mix of silver and bronze. She pulled out one of each and Hagrid explained the currency as they walked out of the bank.

She looked back up at Hagrid with a curious gaze. There was no way Carlisle was her real name, she was sure of it now. The giant of a man before her was about to address her to the goblin with a different one.

"You never told me about my dad. How did he die?"

He stopped in his tracks, clearly uncomfortable about the sudden topic and he cleared his throat. Kirsten continued to press on, "Did that wizard kill him too?"

"Yeah, erm — somethin' like that," Hagrid replied, not looking her in the eyes. He cleared his throat, trying not to meet Kirsten's gaze. "Well, Kia, I'd hate ter leave yeh now that we've met but — yer not gonna be alone, Harry'll help ya and I got ter tell Dumbledore yeh're coming —"

"It's alright, Hagrid," she interrupted, smiling at him. She had what she needed for now. "I guess I'll be seeing you at Hogwarts."

"All righ', see ya two at Hogwarts, then," Hagrid said, smiling back at Harry and Kirsten. The large man walked into the crowd of people, leaving the two long lost friends alone.

Hagrid reminded her of Fudge's reaction last night. She guessed her father was a sore spot for both men and was curious as to why.

"You think he left cause of my question?"

"Yeah, he tends to slip out information that needs to be kept a secret," Harry said with a grin.

"Really? Care to explain?"

"During my first year…." Harry began to explain his adventures during his first and second year with his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, while they both got their school supplies. He also described his other friends and the enemies he made.

"So the Slytherin house is no good, and Malfoy's the biggest ass of them all?" Kirsten said, making sure her summarization of the Slytherin house was correct. She was assured when Harry grinned at her with a nod of his head, both of them walking out of madam Malkin's. "Hagrid told me about Gryffindor and Slytherin hatred while I was eating breakfast. What would you do if I'm sorted into Slytherin?"

"You won't be," Harry said immediately.

"C'mon, Harry," Kirsten said rolling her eyes. "I'm pretty conniving if I do say so myself."

"I don't know. It'd be kind of weird to know a friend of mine in Slytherin…"

"So not one Slytherin is friends with a Gryffindor?"

"Not one," Harry confirmed, shaking his head. "Let's go and get your wand," he added, nodding his head at the shabby and narrow building some meters away. Kirsten noted the peeling gold letters over the door read:

_Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC_

A bell chimed, signaling their arrival when they entered the dimly lit shop. Not a second later, a frizzy haired man with pale eyes came towards them from the back shelves. She really had to rethink the places she found herself in. Getting her wand or not, Kirsten did not want to get use to old men creepily greeting her in dimly lit rooms.

"Mr. Potter, a pleasure to meet you again and —"

The shopkeeper stopped to a halt as he looked Kirsten over, his face expressing several emotions at once but he gave her a kind smile. "And your name is?"

"Kirsten Carlisle," she told him. She didn't miss the doubtful look that crossed his face, however, his smile returned once again.

"Which is your wand arm?" he asked, pulling out a long measure tape with silver markings.

"Your right," Harry mumbled to her. Kirsten repeated it to Ollivander and held out her arm for him to measure. Instead of his measuring, the tape measurer began to measure from her shoulder to her finger by itself. Mr. Ollivander began flitting around shelves, taking down boxes.

"So what's a wand made out of, besides wood?" she asked him.

"Well, Miss Carlisle, every Ollivander wand has a core of powerful magical substances," he said as the tape measured from her wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and around her head. "We use heartstrings of dragons, unicorn hairs, and phoenix tail feathers. So no two wands are ever the same. And by using another wizard's wand you will never get such good results as you would with your own."

He appeared in front of the grey eyed witch with several boxes as the measuring tape crumpled to the ground.

"Now, let's see…try this," he said, handing her a thin brown wand. "Holly and unicorn hair. Fourteen inches. A bit bendy —"

He snatched it from her hand before she could even have a chance to wave it.

"Definitely not — here, try this," he said, handing her a much shorter wand. "Cherry wood and phoenix feather. Eight inches. A bit more —"

And once again, he snagged the wand from her hand. It felt like hours of Ollivander grabbing wands from her hands until a light smile appeared on his face.

"Could it be? I wonder —" he hurried off into the back of the shop. She glanced at Harry, her eyebrows raised and a grin on her face.

"He did the same with me," Harry said.

Coming back, his hands were holding onto a leather black box. He opened the lid, revealing an ebony wand, a small silver design etched in the handle. He held it out for Kirsten to take. Something warm consumed her body as she held onto the wand. She didn't feel this with the other wands. The sensation spread from her fingertips caused her to the grip the wand tightly in her hand, as a bright silver color swirled from the tip of the wand encircled her. It felt as if she was being accepted. In the seconds the light enveloped her it vanished, but she still felt the warmth of the wand. The witch looked at Ollivander and realized something.

"You didn't snatch it out of my hand this time!"

"Yes, I did not," he agreed, raising an eyebrow. "And your last name is Carlisle, my dear?"

"I don't actually know," Kirsten said, remembering Hagrid at Gringotts. "I lived in an orphanage for as long as I can remember."

She saw the man nod his head, curiosity filled his eyes as he looked at her. She could tell behind his light eyes that he was pondering on what she told him.

"That wand happens to be one of the first wands ever made in this shop," the old wizard informed her. Kirsten's mind flashed to the sign in her mind, and her eyes watched the man curiously. That made her wand approximately 382 BC. But she didn't see the big deal about this wand that he was making. It didn't matter of the age of the wand... did it?

"Now, every wand can produce magic, weak or strong, from any wizard. But this wand, here, is different," he said, nodding his head at the wand in her hand. "It is legend that a prophecy was made long ago about the owner of this wand. That the owner was both cursed and blessed. They would wield powers beyond one's imagination. I am certain there is more about this prophecy legend but I'm afraid it's nothing more than a legend. However...

"You should know that not one person was able to perform magic with this wand," he said, eyes flickering from the wand to Kirsten, "until today."

* * *

As Kirsten and Harry walked out of the shop, the witch couldn't help but turn around to glance at the sign over the door; the founding date of the store caught her eye once again. She tried to get out of the shop as quickly as possible. The way the old man looked at her. She felt as if he was lying to her in a way. Keeping something hidden from her.

"You don't think he was serious, do you?" she asked him, glancing at Harry.

"He looked —"

The bags in Kirsten's hand toppled to the ground as a force knocked them from her hand.

"Watch where you put your bags!" a voice spat out at her. Her brow furrowed in anger at the rude voice.

"Oh, excuse me while I leave my bags lying around for you to stomp on," she retorted sarcastically, grabbing her newly acquired items with Harry's help, "Damn idiot."

"Now, now Draco. No need to be rude to others," she heard a voice drawl out. Finally putting her robes in the bag, Kirsten reached for the open box revealing her wand that was by a pair of shoes. The box rose up in the air and her eyes traveled up to meet a rather polished man. Kirsten stood up to see that the man's long platinum blond hair was tied back, allowing her to get a look at his sharp features.

The man's grey eyes stared down at his hand, where her ebony wand was in the box. Behind him, she saw the boy who yelled at her. There was no mistaking that the duo were father and son._  
_

The boy represented much of his father with the same sharp features and platinum blond hair. The man's eyes tore away from the box and he looked at Harry rather coldly.

"We meet again, Harry Potter," the man said softly, although she heard an edge to his voice. His eyes traveled over to Kirsten and they widened slightly as he looked her over. "And who is this?"

"Kirsten Carlisle," she replied. "And do I get the pleasure of knowing yours?"

"Lucius —"

"Malfoy," she said softly, interrupting him. She knew Malfoy junior's name sounded familiar. Her eyes observed the arrogant prick before her._  
_

"So I take it young Potter, here, has told you about me?" Lucius Malfoy said, raising an eyebrow.

"Can't exactly leave the villains out of a story," Kirsten told him, holding out her arm. Her eyes locked onto his and she couldn't deny the intensity at which the man was looking. A glint flashed in his eyes as Kirsten raised an eyebrow. It wasn't long before the elder Malfoy placed the box containing her wand in her hand. She closed the lid and placed the box in one of my bags, noticing Malfoy junior watching her. "A good beating or two will straighten him out."

She ignored the glare the younger Malfoy sent her way as she turned to Harry with a face her old friend.


	5. The Weasleys REVISED

**REVISED 12/27/12.**

A couple of weeks passed since Kirsten Carlisle found out she was a witch. The day after she met Hagrid, a Ministry official came by to escort her to Muggle London. Unfortunately, Harry wasn't allowed to come with them under the Minister's orders. It was a little awkward with the man named Dawlish, since he kept sending swift glances in her direction every now and then. But he warmed up to her at some point. She questioned him incessantly about the Ministry, the investigation, and if she was truly the girl they were looking for. Of course the last bit was unnecessary, considering he told her that the Trace was activated during her stay at the orphanage several nights ago.

* * *

_"Have you thought about questioning the employees?" Kirsten asked him, as she shuffled through racks of clothing in the Muggle store. The man looked at her curiously, and she shrugged her shoulders. "Somebody in the Ministry could've done it, mate."_

_The man nodded his head, and if she didn't know any better she saw his lips quirk up. "I'll notify the Minister, Kirsten."_

_She grinned at him. That was the first time he's called her by her first name all day. She was ready to open her mouth when the man spoke up first. _

_"You think it's odd too, don't you?" he asked. She knew what he was talking about. He informed her earlier that upon investigating the Department of Law Enforcement, that the Improper Use of Magic office has been constantly alerted by the Trace of her presence at the Orphanage, whenever she performed magic. Considering she lived in a Muggle area and that the Trace detected the underage magic she performed, the Ministry should have been on her ass in a heartbeat. Dawlish also told her that the employees in the office were stunned about this information. _

_"Of course I do," she said, handing him another article of clothing. "Let's get the hell out of here and grab some food."_

* * *

She didn't know whether she almost gave him a heart attack that day due to her terrible language, which he reprimanded her constantly, or whether he wished the heart attack on her due to the ridiculous amount of questions she asked him. She was thinking about visiting Dan and Alec but decided against it. Too many questions would be asked and she wouldn't be able to tell them anything.

"You never told me how you got here," Harry said, breaking the calm atmosphere at Florence Fortescue's Ice Cream Emporium. She stopped licking the chocolate ice-cream in her hand and looked over at him.

"I got on the Knight Bus. You were there, don't you remember?"

"I'm not talking about that," he said. Silence was his answer for the next couple of seconds until the grey eyed witch gathered enough information to summarize her mini adventure.

"Well…I ran away from the orphanage and somehow the Knight Bus pulled up in front of me. Then I saw you," she said, smiling at Harry. "After seeing a friend of mine, I came to the Leaky Cauldron cause that's where I saw you go in. That's when I ran into the Minister of Magic."

"Did he talk to you?" Harry asked, intrigued.

"He's the man that told me that I'm a witch. I told him to explain what the hell was going on….

"He told me about the Ministry and he told me that I was _missing_. Something to do with the Trace…" she finished.

"That's odd, though," Harry said, staring at his ice cream for a while before looking at her, "that you were missing and they couldn't detect you. You more than likely performed magic."

"I said the same thing, but Fudge got a little sensitive," she told him. "You don't think they're hiding something from me, do you?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at her question, a little smile playing on his face. "Did you really just ask me that?"

"Did I stutter?"

"I see your bruises and cuts healed."

_That _got Kirsten's attention. She forgot to mention to Harry about the fight she had with Victoria. It was amazing how their conversations could go from a joking matter to a serious matter in seconds. It reminded Kirsten of their days back in primary school on the playground.

She grinned at him and told him about the fight between the two.

"Can't believe you let her rough you up like that," Harry said as she finished.

"She looked like hell when I finished," Kirsten added, punching Harry's arm playfully. "Anyways, at least I didn't blow up my aunt."

"Let's not change the subject," he said, noticing that she was trying to change the subject.

"Oh come on, Harry. You blew up your old aunt Marge!" the young witch exclaimed. "The woman was a raving bitch."

"It was an accident," Harry insisted, but with the smile on his face it was hard to tell if he did it on purpose or not.

"I believe it was too, Harry," Kirsten said sarcastically, devouring the rest of her ice cream. "Shall we go for a wonderful stroll around the neighborhood, Mr. Potter?"

A smile crept onto her face when she saw Harry roll his eyes._  
_

"Really, Kia?" she heard the whiner groan. "You dragged me to a _bookstore_."

"Excuse me if I want to catch up with my own year," she told him, walking towards a stack of books for first years. _  
_

"Come on, I'll help you when we get to Hogwarts. And I'm sure Ron and Hermione wouldn't mind helping you catch up either," he added. He laughed as he saw her looking at a pile of books. "And since when did you like to read?"

"Why don't you go and admire that piece of chopped up wood you call a broom," Kirsten said dismissively.

Harry laughed.

"Kia, don't tell me you're still afraid of heights?" Harry asked, remembering the time she wouldn't climb a tree with him.

"If my ass is depending on a flimsy piece of wood to support me in the air," she said, causing Harry to laugh even harder, "then yes."

"I'll teach you how to ride a —"

"I'd rather you wouldn't," she said. "Now go."

Harry threw an amused look Kirsten's way before chuckling and exiting the shop.

She looked at the Defense Against the Dark Arts book for first year students and a thought crossed her mind._  
_

She concentrated hard on where she heard eleven years old in the past two weeks. Then it hit her. That man, Sirius Black, didn't even ask if she was eleven after she told him about Victoria. He just assumed…. Could he be a wizard?

That would explain why he just assumed she was eleven. Dawlish did tell her that the signs of magic frequently happened before or during the age of eleven, and acceptance letters to Hogwarts come around at the age of eleven.

"Would you like to purchase those?" a voice broke through her thoughts.

She looked over to see a woman smiling kindly at her, and realized that she was standing in front of the counter with six books in her arms. After purchasing those books, Kirsten left the store into the sunny street to find Harry.

"Kia!" she heard a voice shout her nickname when she passed Fortescue's shop. Kirsten whirled around, spotting a tall, gangly redhead and a tanned, bushy haired girl standing beside Harry.

Ron and Hermione.

"Hi, Kirsten Carlisle," she introduced herself, holding out her hand for them to accept. "You must be Ron and Hermione."

Hermione took Kirsten's hand in hers shaking it with a "hi" and a smile herself. However, Ron's brow furrowed in a manner of confusion until a look of recognition crossed his face.

"You're that Muggle girl Harry told me about during our first year!" Ron exclaimed. "What — how did you get here?"

"She can't be a Muggle, Ron! Muggleborn, right?" the bushy haired witch asked, looking back at Kirsten.

"Both my parents were wizards," she told them. Harry's two friends had looks of curiosity at that. "It's a long story."

"So you're going to Hogwarts?" Ron asked. "Aren't you too old to be a first year?"

"I'm being accepted as a third year," Kirsten told him, and she saw Hermione's quizzical look.

"Really?"

Now Kirsten knew how Dawlish felt when she bothered him constantly with questions. Of course she did it purposefully, just to annoy him. She didn't realize how genuinely kind he was until he expressed how odd it must be for her. And that's when the real answer seeking questions came along. First impressions can sum up that she definitely liked these two.

"How are the classes?" she asked. Hermione's eyes seemed to light up at the question and took it upon herself to answer.

"Oh you're going to love them," she said, smiling. Kirsten noticed that the young witch bent over to pick up three bulging bags.

"Let me help," the black haired witch said, grabbing one of the bags.

After Hermione thanked her, the intelligent witch began to explain some of the classes as the group of four began moving.

"We're going to Magical Menagerie so I could get Scabbers looked at," Ron said, jerking his head in the direction of the store. "Hermione might buy an owl herself."

She guessed that Scabbers could only be his pet since Magical Menagerie was a pet store, and wondered what type of animal Scabbers was.

"Who's Scabbers?" she asked the redhead, and the wizard began digging in his pockets.

"My rat," Ron replied. It wasn't long before he pulled out a thinning and balding creature. Kirsten couldn't keep her mouth closed at the revolting sight. It's not like she didn't like rats, it was just this one in particular. If she didn't know any better, she'd say the rat was diseased with the large hairless patches covering its body. And she currently didn't know what to say to Ron, which was a first for her. Not knowing the person never stopped her from being rude, but this was one of Harry's best friends. She felt she practically knew him because of the adventures Harry told her about him. And he told her about his family. Kirsten was blunt, but not heartless.

"He's definitely not in the healthiest shape."

"Yeah, he doesn't look it," Ron agreed, looking at his pet as well. Kirsten looked at the rat in his hands and stepped back quickly when the creature began to squirm uncontrollably in Ron's hand. The red head stuffed Scabbers back in his pocket as the group of four set off to the shop.

They entered the store and the pungent odor of animals hit Kirsten's nose. She remembered why she insisted to Harry on why she didn't want to get a pet. Not at the moment anyway. Every single inch of the walls were covered with cages inhabited by all sorts of animals. Occupying the witch at the front at the counter was another wizard.

"Are you going to get an owl, Kia?" Ron asked, nodding to the different colors of birds.

She shook her head as a simple response, and glared at Harry before he could open his mouth to speak. Only a minute passed when by the time the wizard at the counter left, leaving the witch free for Ron.

"It's my rat," the redhead told the witch. "He's been a bit off-color ever since I brought him back from Egypt."

"Bang him on the counter," the witch said, pulling out a pair of heavy black spectacles from her pocket.

Ron lifted Scabbers from inside his pocket and placed him next to the cage of his fellow rats, who began to look at Scabbers. The little rat's eyes stared at Kirsten from where it sat and she started to notice something odd about Scabbers. His eyes had been following her.

"Hm," the witch said, picking Scabbers up herself. "How old is this rat?"

"Dunno," Ron said. "Quite old. He used to belong to my brother."

"What powers does he have?" the witch asked as she examined him.

"Er —"

Kirsten followed the witch's eyes moving from Scabbers' tattered left ear to his front paw with the missing toe.

"He's been through the mill, this one," she stated.

"He was like that when Percy gave him to me," Ron said defensively.

"An ordinary common or garden rat like this can't be expected to live longer than three years or so," she said. "Now, if you were looking for something a bit more hard-wearing, you might like one of these —"

She indicated to one of the black rats.

"Show-offs," Ron muttered, causing Kirsten to grin. Kirsten looked at those rats and then at Scabbers. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Someone was watching her. Glancing around the cluttered room, Kirsten realized there wasn't anybody else in the shop. She frowned and glanced and looked at the witch's hand to find Scabbers beady eyes watching her once again.

"Well, if you don't want a replacement, you can try this rat tonic," she suggested, reaching under the counter and bring out a small red bottle.

Ron agreed and bought the little bottle.

A large orange blob soared at Ron, landing on his head.

"OUCH!"

The strange creature propelled itself, spitting, at Scabbers.

"NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!" the witch cried. Like a slippery frog, Scabbers shot himself from between the woman's hands, landed on the floor, and scattered to the door. Ron raced after Scabbers with Harry following him, leaving Hermione and Kirsten alone with the witch.

Kirsten realized that the creature that jumped on Ron moments ago was a cat, which was now in Hermione's arms.

"I'm sorry about Crookshanks. He's never done that before to a customer," she said.

"Is he ever that vicious towards your mice there?" Kirsten asked, nodding her head in the direction of the black rats in the cage.

"No, I'm afraid not," she replied. "I can take him off your hands," she added to Hermione.

"Actually, I want to buy him," Hermione told her. Crookshanks purred as Hermione petted him.

A bewildered expression was on the witch's face as she watched the pair. "Nobody's ever wanted him…he's been in here for ages."

_Way to pitch a sale, lady. With that attitude you'll be selling hundreds of animals a day._

"I don't see why," Hermione said as Crookshanks nestled against her arm. "He's sweet."

In the next few minutes, Hermione paid for Crookshanks and grabbed the rat tonic left behind on the counter. The two girls met up with Ron and Harry outside the shop, where Ron and Hermione began to argue while we returned to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Is this normal?" Kirsten asked Harry, referring to the argument between the redhead and Hermione.

"Yeah," he replied, giving her a grin as they entered the Leaky Cauldron. Walking through the door, Kirsten saw Ron, Hermione, and Harry heading over to a balding redheaded man reading a newspaper. The man glanced up and smiled when his eyes landed on Harry.

_This must be Ron's dad._

"Harry!" the man greeted. "How are you?"

"Fine, thanks," Harry replied, throwing the man a grin and the man put down the newspaper. Grey eyes stared back up at Kirsten, blinking. The emotionless face looked out at her blankly. Her mouth dropped open but she closed it up just as quickly.

"And who might you be?" he asked. Kirsten looked away from the paper to notice the man looking from the paper and back to her. A look of unease crossed his face when he looked back at the newspaper, but he gave Kirsten a smile.

"Kirsten Carlisle," the black haired witch introduced herself to him, holding out her hand for him to shake.

"Arthur Weasley," he said, grabbing hold of her hand and shaking it.

"They still haven't caught him then?" Harry asked, nodding his head at the picture of Sirius Black.

"I thought he escaped from a high security prison somewhere up north?" Kirsten asked, looking at him. She had a feeling that he was a wizard, but could he really be? "I read about him on the Muggle newspaper."

"He's no Muggle," Ron clarified her indirect question. "He's a raving lunatic. The Ministry's told the Muggles that he carries some sort of um…I dunno —"

"Gun," Hermione told him.

"Yeah, that!"

"So they still haven't caught him?" Kirsten asked, bringing up Harry's question.

"Not yet," he replied gravely. "They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far."

"Would we get a reward if we caught him?" Ron asked. "It'd be great to get some more money —"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," his father told him. "Black isn't going to be caught by a thirteen year old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, you mark my words."

_Dementors_. Kirsten remembered reading up on Azkaban as one of the many magical facilities in the United Kingdom for a bit of bedtime reading.

Her attention turned towards a bustling noise coming from the door to get to Diagon Alley. A woman followed by two twin boys, an older boy, and a young girl appeared into the bar. It wasn't hard to notice that they were all related to Ron and his father. They all shared the same flaming red hair.

The big group all joyously greeted Harry and began to talk to one another but the two twins turned to Kirsten, grins on their faces.

"And who is this remarkable young woman?" one of them said.

"Remarkable? I'd say charming!" the other replied.

"Others would say I'm both," Kirsten said in a knowing voice. "And they'd add fit."

The twins' grins widened at her, and she couldn't help but smile at them. She liked them as soon as they both spoke to her. "I'm Kirsten Carlisle. You two must be Fred and George, according to Harry."

At the mention of Harry's name both of the boys turned their heads in his direction.

"So, Harry, you've been hiding this remarkable —"

"— charming —"

"— and don't forget fit young lady —"

"— in your trunk all this time?"

"Actually, she's going to Hogwarts for the first time," Harry informed them and the twins looked Kirsten's way, their faces exposing curious expressions.

"Really? She doesn't look like a firstie," George said, his eyes examining her. One of them poked her cheek and the other pinched her other cheek.

"Fred! George! Leave her alone!" the woman shrieked at her sons. They immediately stopped assaulting her cheeks as their mother bustled over to where they were standing.

"I'm sorry, dear. They're not exactly the most polite," she said, her eyes widened slightly as she took a closer look at Kirsten.

"It's alright," Kirsten told her, then looked at the twins. "I'm starting as a third year."

Kirsten's eyes went to the only redheaded girl and the older boy who had also entered with Mrs. Weasley, Fred, and George. A badge gleamed from the older boy's chest.

"You two must be Ginny and Percy," Kirsten said, shaking hands with the girl. Then she shook hands with the boy. He smiled kindly at her but marched up the stairs to where the rooms were located after Fred and George cracked a joke about him being Head Boy.

"We tried shutting him in a pyramid," George said. "But Mum spotted us."

She definitely liked this family.

* * *

Kirsten dug into the sumptuous chocolate pudding with the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry after eating their way through the five course meal.

"How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?" Fred asked as Kirsten put another spoon of pudding in her mouth.

"The Ministry's providing a couple of cars," Mr. Weasley answered. Kirsten glanced at the head Weasley. Even though she just learned of the wizarding world, it seemed odd that the Ministry itself would provide cars.

"Why?" Percy asked curiously.

"It's because of you, Perce," George said with a serious tone. "And there'll be little flags on the hoods with HB's on them —"

"— for Humungous Bighead," Fred finished. Kirsten snorted into her pudding with laughter at the crack and found herself not to be the only one.

"Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy repeated, this time with a dignified voice.

"Well, as we haven't got one anymore," Mr. Weasley said, and Kirsten remembered what Harry told me about second year, "and as I work there, they're doing me a favor —" Even though his voice sounded casual, Kirsten could tell he was not telling them something. His ears were an unusual shade of red after all. That was usually code for terrible liar.

"Good thing, too," Mrs. Weasley said briskly. "Do you realize how much luggage you've all got between you? A nice sight you'd be on the Muggle Underground….You are all packed, aren't you?"

"Ron hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet," Percy said in a long suffering voice. "He's dumped them on my bed."

"You'd better go and pack properly, Ron, because we won't have much time in the morning," Mrs. Weasley told him.

Dinner ended soon after and one by one, the Weasley children along with Harry and Hermione, went upstairs, leaving Kirsten alone with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"It was really great meeting you," she told them, surprising herself with her sincerity. It wasn't every day that Kirsten was polite and sincere to adults. But that may be because most of the adults she met were her teachers, who spread gossip, DuPont, and that bloody cousin of hers.

"It was such a pleasure meeting you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said warmly. "Now go off to bed. You wouldn't want to be late on your first day."

"Good night, Kia," Mr. Weasley said, smiling at her.

"'Night," she said, heading up the stairs.

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

Kirsten's hands automatically reached the sides of her head as a sharp pain and her legs almost gave way. Luckily, the pounding beats came to a stop before that happened and the pain dulled.

"Are you alright?"

Kirsten looked up to see Harry with a concerned expression on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be," she told him, throwing a grin his way. "Where're you headed?"

He grinned back, however, she saw a brief flash of concern as he pointed over his shoulder. Shouting resonated from room ten and Kirsten let out a laugh as she heard Ron's voice yelling over his Percy's. "I'm getting Ron's rat tonic."

"Well, 'night, Harry."

The young witch walked into her room and closed the door behind her, thinking back to the terrible migraine-like pain.

Did that have anything to do with her magic?


	6. Dementor and Sorting REVISED

**REVISED 1/1/13. Happy New Year! Time really does fly by!**

"Kia, wake up!"

A cold shiver swept through the young witch's body, following the command.

"Wake me up in a couple more minutes," Kirsten Carlisle groaned, not opening her eyes due to the bright light she could already see from her closed eyes. Patting down the area, she tried grabbing her sheets.

"You're going to miss the train."

"So…make someone whisk me off by magic," she muttered. "I can care less about the train ride."

The voice scoffed, clearly not impressed with her response. "Nobody's going to _whisk_ you away. Just get up so I can tell you something."

"Dammit, Harry," Kirsten said, opening one of her eyes to see the boy sitting on her bed, "why couldn't you let Tom wake me up?"

"I told him that I was going to do it," he replied as he shifted closer to his black haired friend. His brilliant green eyes were no longer focused on Kirsten but past her. She glanced at the direction he was gazing in and raised an eyebrow at him. "But forget that. Last night, I overheard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley when I went to get Scabbers's tonic."

"And I'm guessing it had something to do with Sirius Black?" she asked. Harry's eyes averted his gaze from the newspaper to her instead.

"How'd you —"

"The way you're staring at him looks as if you two were star-crossed lovers," she stated sarcastically, nodding in the direction of the photograph of Sirius Black located on her bedside table.

Getting off the bed, Kirsten grabbed some jeans and a black shirt. "So what about him?"

"Apparently, he's" — she signaled for him to turn the other way in order for her to change clothes — "after me."

Silence passed between the two as Kirsten pulled on her clothes with wide eyes. Kirsten placed her hand on Harry's shoulder and he turned around. Something flashed across his eyes but it wasn't for his well-being.

"And yet you don't seem so worried," she mused, observing him. "Have you told Ron or Hermione yet?"

"No," Harry replied before he hastily added, "I tried telling Ron before I came here, but Percy…"

"Yeah, I thought I heard them shouting earlier," Kirsten muttered darkly as she went inside the bathroom. "What was the conversation about?"

She began to brush her teeth while Harry began, carefully listening to each word he was saying. And more importantly, how he was saying it.

"I heard Mr. Weasley arguing with Mrs. Weasley that I'm old enough to know what's going on and Mrs. Weasley was telling him that the _truth_ would terrify me," Harry said. Kirsten nodded her head for him to continue. "Then Mr. Weasley mentioned that if Sirius Black can break out of Azkaban then he can break into Hogwarts."

"Definitely."

"The guards apparently told Fudge that Black's been talking in his sleep. Saying the same words: 'He's at Hogwarts…he's at Hogwarts.' And I'm '_he_'," Harry said. With his words Kirsten placed her brush down and locked eyes with Harry through the mirror. How was he not scared? From what she heard so far, people feared Black almost as much as they did Voldemort.

"He said that Black might help bring Voldemort back to power."

And so the devil himself entered the story.

"So Voldemort's right hand man is after you," Kirsten summarized.

"Kia? Harry?" a voice called from the room.

"In here!" she yelled, picking up her things around the sink. They both exited the bathroom and saw Ron standing in the door frame.

"Percy's driving me mad!" Ron said fiercely.

"You did mess it up!" Kirsten heard Percy yell from down the hall.

"This must be one hell of a morning for you, eh, Ron?" she said, winking at him.

"It's not funny!" he replied. Then he stuck his head out of the room and yelled, "I didn't do it!"

And with that, Ron left the room.

"We're definitely going to continue this, Harry," Kirsten assured him. However, he shook his head.

"We should get your trunk downstairs. We have to leave in a little bit," Harry said. "We can talk about it on the train."

Nodding her head, Kirsten put the last remaining things into her trunk and slammed it shut. With Harry's help, they got the trunk downstairs along with everyone's trunks and cages.

"Kia, your breakfast, dear," Mrs. Weasley called out, pointing to a plate next to Mr. Weasley. Her lips curved up into a gentle smile, but her brown eyes threw a glare as they reached her husband.

"Oh, thanks," Kirsten said. She sat in the chair next to Mr. Weasley. His eyes left the paper in his hands and settled on her.

"Good morning, Kirsten," he greeted her with a smile.

"Morning," she replied kindly. "Any leads?"

"No," he sighed, while she took a spoonful of my cereal. After glimpsing at every person in the bar, he looked back at Kirsten. She found the expression on his face a bit unsettling when his smile dropped suddenly. "There's something you need to know."

"What is it?" Kirsten asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

"There're certain things I'm not allowed to tell you, but as you've figured out, I knew your parents," he said quietly. Nodding her head for him to continue, he cleared his throat. "Your mother knew Sirius Black."

Kirsten's eyes widened in shock but quickly narrowed as a thought entered her head. If he knew her mom, then could he have known her father too?

"And what about my dad?"

Mr. Weasley's expression went from serious to uncomfortable in seconds. Just like Hagrid and the minister.

"They knew each other as well," he admitted. "Sirius Black was the reason for your mother's death, aside from the fact that You-Know-Who…"

Nodding her head in understanding, Mr. Weasley continued, "We thought you were gone too. And now we think that if he knows you're alive he'll either — well, _murder_ you. The Minister's been keeping your story secret from the Daily Prophet so Black doesn't catch wind of it."

"So if he finds out I'm alive, he'll kill me?" she repeated, making sure that she heard right.

"Yes, so I want you to be careful when you go to school," Mr. Weasley added. "You swear to me you'll be as careful as you can?"

Kirsten could only stare at the man before her as memories flashed through her mind. The night when she nearly got run over by that car he saved her life. She had half a mind to tell Mr. Weasley that she saw him almost a month ago. She remembered the way he reacted to her name. And she had an inkling that he knew she was alive. But he told her that was the last thing he wanted to do. And to add even more, the man saved her life.

Did he really want her dead? Maybe he had some sort of epiphany when he escaped from Azkaban.

"I swear I'll try," Kirsten told him but that didn't seem to satisfy him.

"Kia, swear to me that you will?"

"Yeah, I swear," she replied. A thought struck her mind. "I'd like to know if my father is still alive?"

"N — yes, he is," Mr. Weasley sighed. She inwardly grinned at the honest answer. _At least somebody answered my question._

A silent moment passed between them, letting them actually hear the hustle and bustle around the pub.

"Can I meet him?"

Mr. Weasley's eyes darted around the room once more before he looked at the young witch beside him.

"Er — Kia, your father — well, you're not really able to get in contact — none of us can, actually –"

"I get it, Mr. Weasley," Kirsten said, realizing that he's going to keep his mouth shut on the matter. "I wouldn't want you to say something you're not allowed to say…and I guess his name is off limits as well?"

"I'm sorry, Kia," Mr. Weasley said, shaking his head. Kirsten only grinned at the man. He was the first to tell her something valuable about her father, that they want to keep hidden from her. She was going to find out at some point.

"So what about my mum?"

"Stephens. Alicia Stephens," Mr. Weasley replied. A grin made its way onto his face as if reminiscing a great time, though his memories were shaken from his thoughts as he gave Kirsten a smile. "I guess I should check if the Ministry cars are here. Thank you for understanding, Kia."

Ron's father left his seat next to hers and she finished her breakfast by the time the Ministry cars arrived. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Kirsten slid onto the seats of the roomy cars.

"What were you and Dad talking about, Kia?" Ron asked Kirsten. Before she could reveal any information to them, Percy slid into the car as well.

"I'll tell you later."

When the cars arrived at King's Cross Station, the Ministry drivers put everyone's trunks onto trolleys and with the tip of their hats, they left. Kirsten pushed her own trolley along the platform, following the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione. It wasn't long before the large group stopped before a platform barrier.

"Right," Mr. Weasley said, glancing around at them all. "Let's do this in pairs as there are so many of us. I'll go through first with Harry."

The pair of them went towards the barrier nine and ten. Kirsten watched intently as the pair was making their way towards the barrier questionably. Her eyes widened as their bodies made contact with the barrier, disappearing as they went.

Ginny and Percy went next and disappeared when they made contact as well.

"It's our turn, dear," Mrs. Weasley said to Kirsten. "Everyone's nervous their first time through. Just relax, Kia," she added, noticing how wide her eyes were with shock.

Pushing her trolley, with Mrs. Weasley by her side, Kirsten walked towards the barrier not to attract attention. She shut my eyes when she got closer, half-expecting to smash into the barrier. However, she didn't feel a thing. Instead she heard voices and opened her eyes.

"Whoa," the black haired witch whispered in awe, much like she had when she first saw Diagon Alley.

Numerous people crowded around an old-fashioned train; their trolleys carrying the same contents as hers. Her grey eyes strayed from the people to the scarlet steam engine, puffing smoke over everyone bustling near.

"Have a great first year, Kia," Mr. Weasley said with a smile, striding over to Kirsten. He pulled her into a hug much to her surprise. He let go of her so Mrs. Weasley could do the same.

"Oh, dear, have a wonderful year!" Mrs. Weasley said from beside Kirsten, grabbing her into an embrace seconds after Mr. Weasley let go. Letting go, she patted her shoulder. "Remember to send a letter telling Arthur and I what House you've been sorted in."

"I will, thanks," Kirsten said, feeling oddly happy. Most of the adults that dealt with her, wanted nothing to do with her. Beside Alec and Dan. She felt a bit guilty that she didn't go and see them. But what was she going to tell them? That she was a witch? While Dawlish was standing there?

Kirsten boarded the train with the Weasley children and Hermione. She turned around to see Harry was still talking to Mr. Weasley. The train whistled and the guards were walking along the train, slamming all the doors shut. The two broke their conversation when the train began to move and Ron opened the door for Harry to hop in.

"I need to talk to you," Harry muttered to Ron, Hermione, and Kirsten.

"Go away, Ginny," Ron said, and Kirsten couldn't help but let out a snort at his rudeness towards his little sister.

"Oh that's nice," Ginny said huffily, stalking off.

The four of them set off down the corridor in the opposite direction, searching for an empty compartment. However, all of them so far were full. As they reached the compartment at the very end of the train, Kirsten spotted an occupant fast asleep next to the window.

A shabby set of wizard's robes hung onto the man's body, his body language displaying his exhaustion. Grey strands could be seen in his light brown hair even though his face looked quite young.

"Who do you reckon he is?" Ron hissed. Kirsten's eyes flickered up at the luggage rack over the man's head as she lifted hers with Hermione's help.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," Hermione whispered.

"How'd you know that?"

"It's on his case," Kirsten told them, noticing the peeling gold letters on the battered trunk. She got down from her seat to help Hermione with her trunk.

"Wonder what he teaches?" Ron said, frowning at the professor. Kirsten decided to sit next to the sleeping man.

"That's obvious," Hermione whispered. "There's only one vacancy isn't there? Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Well I hope he's up to it," Ron said doubtfully. "He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he? Anyway…" Ron turned to Harry. "What were you going to tell us?"

Harry explained to them what he told Kirsten earlier at the Leaky Cauldron. When he finished, Harry quickly glanced in Kirsten's direction before looking at Hermione and Ron.

Hermione's hand clamped over her mouth while Ron looked thunderstruck at the new information.

"Sirius Black escaped to come after _you_? Oh Harry… you'll have to be really, really careful. Don't go looking for trouble, Harry —"

"I don't go looking for trouble," Harry interrupted, nettled. "Trouble usually finds _me_."

"How thick would Harry have to be, to go looking for some nutter who wants to kill him?" Ron said rather shakily. Kirsten glanced back and forth from Ron to Hermione to Harry. She noticed Harry doing the same between Ron, Hermione, and herself.

"He's not only after me, Mr. Weasley also said something about you, Kia, before I got on the train," Harry said. All three pairs of eyes were on Kirsten now.

"Is that what Dad was talking about to you during breakfast?" Ron asked, and she nodded her head.

"My mother apparently knew Sirius Black," she told them. All three pairs of their eyes widened at the new fact.

"Why didn't your mom tell you?" Hermione asked, both her and Ron curious to know why.

"She's dead."

There was moment of silence in the compartment before it was broken.

"I'm sor —"

"I don't mind being asked," Kirsten told them, a small smile making its way onto her face.

"So Sirius Black is after you too?"

She paused before she answered. It wasn't that she didn't trust them. She just didn't want to explain what happened the night she ran away. They would all think she was mad for sure. As she ate the rest of her breakfast earlier, she concluded that Sirius Black didn't want to kill her. But that opposed what was being said at the moment by the ministry.

"Not exactly…" Kirsten said, facing them. "He might not know that I'm alive…and the Minister's been keeping the news of my appearance quiet in case Black doesn't know.

"Black was the cause for my mother's death. Voldemort killed her personally," Kirsten continued, noticing that both Hermione and Ron eyes widened at the name. "But…all this secrecy that the Minister's been keeping from me has me thinking differently."

That was as far as Kirsten was going to tell them as she looked to the man beside her and then back to Ron, Hermione, and Harry. "The Minister wouldn't tell me anything about my father."

"Hagrid didn't either," Harry added.

"Except for your dad, Ron," she said. "He said that my dad's _alive_."

Before a word could be said from the other three, the professor next to Kirsten jerked in his sleep, causing her to jump back a little.

"I'll talk about it later."

A silenced passed between all four of them until Ron spoke up.

"No one knows how he got out of Azkaban," Ron said uncomfortably. "No one's ever done it before. And he was a top security prisoner too."

"But they'll catch him, won't they?" Hermione asked earnestly. "I mean, they've got all the Muggles looking out for him too…."

"I doubt it," Kirsten said. She was momentarily distracted when her ears perked up at the sound of a faint whistling noise.

"What's that noise?" Ron asked suddenly, hearing it too. Kirsten glanced around the compartment and noticed the sound coming from Harry's trunk.

"It's coming from your trunk, Harry," the black haired witch told him, and Ron stood up and reached into the luggage rack. A moment later, Kirsten saw a whirling little top spinning very fast and glowing brightly in the palm of Ron's hand.

"Is that a _Sneakoscope_?" Hermione asked interestedly, standing up to get a better look. _  
_

While Kirsten peered closely at the top in his hand, she also noticed Scabbers poking his head from Ron's pocket. And leaned back a bit as it watched her. _  
_

"Yeah…mind you, it's a very cheap one," Ron said. "It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry."

"We're you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" Hermione asked shrewdly.

"No! Well…I wasn't supposed to be using Errol. You know he's not really up to long journeys…but how else was I supposed to get Harry's present to him?" Ron said defensively.

"Maybe someone in here is untrustworthy?" Kirsten suggested with a slight grin on her face. She didn't miss the reactions from everyone in the compartment. They all looked her way then to the professor next to her, while Ron's rat ducked his head back into Ron's pocket. That rat officially creeped her out. His beady little eyes always seemed to follow her. She felt as if an actual person was watching her.

"Stick it back in the trunk," Harry advised, nodding his head in the man's direction, "or it'll wake him up."

Ron stuffed the Sneakoscope into a pair of disgustingly large socks and the sound was muffled. The noise faded completely when he closed the lid of the trunk on it.

"We could get it checked in Hogsmeade," Ron said, sitting back down. "They sell that sort of stuff in Dervish and Banges, magical instruments and stuff. Fred and George told me."

"Do you know much about Hogsmeade?" Hermione asked keenly. Kirsten couldn't help but grin at her enthusiastic attitude. "I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain —"

"Yeah, I think it is," Ron said offhandedly, "but that's not the reason why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes!"

"What's that?" Hermione asked.

"It's this sweetshop," Ron replied, a dreamy expression overcoming his face, "where they've got _everything_….Pepper Imps — they make you smoke at the mouth — and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're thinking of what to write next—"

"But Hogsmeade's a very interesting place, isn't it?" Hermione pressed on eagerly. "In _Sights of Historical Sorcery_ it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain —"

"—and massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them," Ron said, completely unaware of anything Hermione's saying.

"Won't it be nice to get out of school for a bit and explore Hogsmeade?" Hermione asked both Kirsten and Harry.

"'Spect it will," Harry said heavily. "Tell us what it's like."

"What d' you mean?" Ron asked, coming out of his daydream abruptly.

"I can't go. The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn't either." A look of horror crossed Ron's face and then he faced Kirsten, wanting to hear her excuse.

"The only legal guardian I know is a Muggle," Kirsten told them, shrugging her shoulders. "Lived in an orphanage."

"_You're not allowed to come?_ But—no way —McGonagall or someone will give you two permission—"

Harry let out an emotionless laugh. And Kirsten knew that was a definite no.

"—or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle—"

"Ron!" Hermione said sharply. "I don't think Harry and Kia should be sneaking out of school with Black on the loose—"

"Yeah, I expect that's what McGonagall will say when I ask for permission," Harry said bitterly.

"You know, Ron, that doesn't sound like a bad idea," Kirsten said, intrigued.

"Yeah! And if _we're_ with you," Ron said spiritedly, "Black wouldn't dare—"

"Oh, Ron, don't talk rubbish," Hermione snapped, fumbling with the straps of Crookshanks' basket. "Black's already murdered a whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street. Do you really think he's going to worry about attacking Harry just because _we're_ there?"

"Don't let that thing out!" Ron said. However, Crookshanks slipped out of the basket and sprung onto Ron's knees. The lump in Ron's pocket started trembling, and Ron shoved Crookshanks away angrily. "Get out of here!"

"Ron, don't!" Hermione said angrily.

Kirsten had her eyes set on Professor Lupin, his brow furrowing as he seemed to stir from his sleep. His face was looking in her direction. They all watched him apprehensively, but he just simply turned his head the other way, his mouth slightly open, and kept sleeping.

"Damn, the man can sleep through anything," Kirsten said, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Kirsten!" Hermione said. She glanced back at Hermione to see her holding her uniform in her arms. "Let's go change into our uniforms."

After Kirsten grabbed her uniform, the two girls headed over to the lavatory to change.

"So, you knew Harry when you were younger?"

"Yeah, met him when I was five," Kirsten replied, slipping on the skirt. "Harry told me that you're the smartest witch in your—our year," she said, correcting herself. She frowned at the thought.

"Don't you think they should've put me in first year?" Kirsten asked.

"Yes, they should have but I'm guessing they will have you do extra assignments outside of your regular courses," the bushy haired witch said as Kirsten buttoned up the blouse, leaving the top three buttons undone.

"I've been doing some reading," Kirsten told her, exiting the stall while pulling on her robes. "But with those restrictions I haven't been able to try anything."

"I can help you," Hermione said, exiting from the other stall.

"Thanks."

The two girls got back to the compartment with Ron and Harry already there. The footsteps of kids outside going back and forward could be heard in their compartment. Crookshanks, who was lying down on Kirsten's lap, was staring intently at the lump in Ron's pocket. Not long after Crookshanks sat down on her, did a plump witch open the compartment door with a cart of sweets.

"D' you think we should wake him up?" Ron asked awkwardly, nodding his head at Professor Lupin. "He looks like he could do with some food."

Being the closest one to the professor, Kirsten turned to the man.

"Professor? Uh—Professor Lupin—"

She softly tapped him on the shoulder, but he didn't budge.

"Should I slap him awake?"

"Don't worry, dear," the witch said, handing Harry a large stack of food. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be up front with the driver."

And with that she left, closing the compartment door behind her.

"I suppose he _is _asleep?" Ron said quietly. "I mean—he hasn't died, has he?"

"No, he's breathing," Hermione whispered, taking one of those cake things Harry offered her and Ron. Harry handed one to Kirsten, and she stared at it warily.

"Um… is there a particular reason why they're called Cauldron Cakes?" she asked, thinking over about the name. Ron's jaw dropped as if she uttered a string of swear words. The last time she had wizard sweets was when she tasted earwax back at her bedroom in the Leaky Cauldron. _Damn Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. _"So I'm guessing it doesn't taste bad, does it?" she added, eyeing the package with curiosity.

"It's actually really good. I thought the food on the trolley was a bit peculiar as well on my first train ride," Hermione said, then she looked over at Ron, "and Ron, close your mouth."

Kirsten unwrapped the Cauldron Cake and took a bite. The small cake soon vanished after several more bites.

"Okay these taste really good," she said, Ron nodding his head fervently in agreement.

"And wait till we get to school, the feast is the best," Ron told me, and Kirsten's eyes lit up.

"A feast?" she asked.

"Yeah, the roasted potatoes, the fudge, the succulent turkey breast…." Ron described, stuffing his mouth with more Cauldron Cake. The compartment door slid open, causing Kirsten to look in that direction. There stood the platinum blond haired boy that she ran into at Diagon Alley. On his sides were two bulky boys.

"Well, look who it is," Malfoy drawled out lazily. "Potty and the Weasel." The two large boulder boys chuckled and Kirsten joined in with them. The two boys stopped laughing and everyone stared at her.

"That was pretty funny," Kirsten admitted. "Harry never mentioned you as a comedian. Only as a scrawny little git that needs to get his priorities straight."

Malfoy's grey eyes narrowed in her direction, and Kirsten heard Ron snickering along with Harry.

"My father told me about you," he said. "Said that you were a good for nothing orphan. It's no wonder why your parents left you."

"Yes, they left me in the cold of winter. Not even bundled in a blanket. Oh woe is me," Kirsten said sarcastically. "Keep the insults coming. They're very refreshing to hear it from an ass like yourself."

"Why don't you do what all orphans do best and get stuffed," Malfoy retorted.

"Funny thing, I tried that the other day…didn't work," Kirsten told him, grinning. "What would you say if I tried to do that to you? You're obviously asking for it."

All eyes were on Kirsten as she kept Malfoy at bay with his insults.

"You should know your place, you filthy little Mudblood," Malfoy said.

"That's it," Kirsten heard Ron say. She saw both Harry and Ron stand up to get to Malfoy. The black haired witch grasped Ron's arm before he could do anything stupid.

"What exactly does that mean?" she whispered to Ron. He looked a bit uncomfortable but complied nonetheless.

"It means filthy blood. An insult to Muggleborns," Ron told her and Kirsten nodded her head in understanding. She glanced back at Malfoy with a grin.

"Well I'm proud to be a Mudblood," Kirsten told him, her eyes locking with Malfoy's. Her eyes narrowed into a glare as she stared at the blond boy, causing his eyes to widen. "Anything else?"

Malfoy's grey eyes locked onto Ron, ignoring Kirsten.

"I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," Malfoy said. "Did your mother die of shock?"

Kirsten stared at Malfoy in disbelief and then narrowed her eyes at him once again. This boy was seriously asking for a death wish. Ron made to move forward, his knee hitting Crookshanks basket. The basket dropped to the floor and a noise erupted behind Kirsten.

"Who's that?" Malfoy asked, taking an automatic step backward after spotting Lupin. Kirsten's lips curved up into a grin at his sudden apprehensiveness. _He's an absolute coward. He can't even throw insults with a teacher around?_

"He's a new teacher," Harry said, standing up beside Ron. "What were you saying, Malfoy?"

Malfoy's eyes narrowed. Kirsten saw his eyes flicker to Lupin, then gaze down at her.

"C'mon," he muttered rather resentfully to the two boulder boys, and they disappeared. Harry sat in his seat beside Kirsten while Ron, massaging his knuckles, sat next to Hermione.

"I'm not going to take any crap from Malfoy this year," Ron said angrily. "I mean it. If he makes one more crack about my family, I'm going to get hold of his head and—"

"Damn right," Kirsten agreed, watching the violent gesture Ron was demonstrating.

"Kia! Ron!" Hermione hissed, pointing at Professor Lupin. "Be _careful_…"

However, Professor Lupin was still fast asleep.

"Hermione, I don't think he'll wake up unless you dump ice cold water on him," Kirsten muttered, looking at the Professor sitting next to her. "Anyways, I'm proud to be a Muggleborn."

"Kia…you're proud to be – you're not even Muggleborn!" Ron exclaimed.

Kirsten smiled at him. "Well, it was in the heat of the moment. I'm proud of Muggleborns anyway, if they have to deal with absolute asses like Malfoy," Kirsten said, glancing in Hermione's direction. Hermione threw a smile in her direction as well.

The rain outside got heavier as the train headed farther up north and the lanterns flickered to life as it got darker. Kirsten glanced beside her to see that Professor Lupin was still sleeping. Crookshanks jumped from Kirsten's lap to Hermione's.

"We must be nearly there," Ron said, looking past the window. The train slowed down in a matter of seconds from its usual fast pace.

"Great," Ron said, getting up and walking carefully past Professor Lupin to try and see out the window. "I'm starving. I want to get to the feast…."

"We can't be there yet," Hermione said, checking her watch.

"So why're we stopping?"

The train got slower and slower, and Harry got up looking out the compartment door to see if anyone else noticed anything odd. The train suddenly jolted to a stop, and thuds and bangs reached Kirsten's ears. Then suddenly her eyes saw only darkness.

"Am I the only one seeing everything in black?" Kirsten asked loudly.

"No, it's not only you," she heard somebody respond. Grabbing Harry from what she could see of his outline, Kirsten pulled him down to his seat.

"Thanks," he whispered.

"D' you think we've broken down?"

"Dunno…"

The black haired witch heard a squeaking sound, and she saw an outline of Ron wiping a patch clean on the window. He peered out of window.

"There's something moving out there," Ron said. "I think people are coming aboard…."

The compartment door suddenly opened and Kirsten saw someone fall over Harry's legs.

"Sorry—d' you know what's going on?—Ouch—sorry—"

"Hullo, Neville," she heard Harry say to the newcomer.

"Harry? Is that you? What's happening?"

"No idea—sit down—"

A sudden weight pressed down on Kirsten's legs.

"I'm sitting here, hold on, let me move," she told the boy named Neville and scooted closer to the professor. _Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

"Again?" Kirsten hissed out in the darkness, still hearing the noise now hearing multiple beats of the sound at the same time. _Dammit!_

"Again?" she heard Harry ask. Kirsten narrowed my eyes in confusion. _Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

"It's—"

"Hold on, I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on," she could hear Hermione's voice. The multiple beating of hearts caused her to wince.

More and more heartbeats, all of them were pounding faster, in anxiety. As if these heartbeats belonged to every single person on the train and she could hear them clearly like speakers pounding in my ears. Kirsten winced more and more.

Squealing noises overcame the pounding in her ears but the pain and sound didn't go away.

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for Ron—"

"Come and sit down—"

"Ah, dammit! Go away," Kirsten hissed out loud, and suddenly it stopped, causing the growing pain in her head to cease.

"Go away?" she heard Ron ask incredulously. "Kia, is that you?"

"Never mind," she mumbled.

"Not here!" Kirsten heard Harry say hurriedly. "_I'm _here!"

"Ouch!" Neville said. Kirsten could hear Ginny coming in as well.

"Quiet!" A hoarse voice commanded that seemed too close. Kirsten jumped noticing how close she was to the professor. Thanks to Neville, she was practically on top of the man. A soft, crackling noise erupted beside her, and her eyes widened as she saw a handful of flames in the man's hand.

"Stay where you are," he said to the others, his voice still hoarse. Getting up, Kirsten moved closer to the compartment door. "Sit back —"

However, his words were lost on her ears as the door slid open, revealing a cloaked figure. Kirsten's entire body suddenly felt cold. Although the chill went deeper than her skin, it was as if the coldness was piercing its way into her heart. The figure's height reached the ceiling with its face completely hidden; it pulled out a slimy scabbed hand out to her face. A rattling sound reverberated from underneath its cloak. The hood leaned in closer to Kirsten's face and as much as she felt that she was in danger, Kirsten couldn't move. A chilling breath hit her face as the hood leaned forward. The black haired witch shuddered from the cold feeling inside of her. She could feel something within her move. She knew it was moving at the command of the hooded figure before her.

Before anything else could happen, a flash of white light blinded her eyes shut. Opening her eyes, Kirsten stared into brown eyes that were gazing down at her. Holding Kirsten up was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. She shook her head as she noticed the lights were back on and the train was moving once again.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, out of breath. But the professor shook his head.

"It's alright," he told the witch still in his arms. The man's brown eyes overlooked Kirsten as if he could not believe what he was seeing, but Kirsten did not really notice. She was partially embarrassed by being held up by a man who she was sitting on only moments ago. Standing up rather shakily, Kirsten's eyes scanned the rest of the compartment and they immediately landed on the figure sprawled on the floor. Her knees touched the ground next to the boy's head, and she placed a hand on his cheek.

"Harry!"

Clamping his skin between her thumb and index finger in a pinch, Harry's green eyes fluttered open, face looking pale and sickly, "W—what?"

Both Hermione and Kirsten heaved him up into his seat.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked nervously.

"Yeah," Harry said, and Kirsten saw him glancing quickly at the door. "What happened? Where's that—that thing? Who screamed?"

"No one screamed," Ron said, looking nervously at him.

"But I heard screaming—"

SNAP!

Kirsten jumped at the sound and turned around to see Professor Lupin break an enormous slab of chocolate, into pieces. He handed Harry a piece and Kirsten. The young witch stared at the man's odd actions, but shrugged her shoulders. It was free chocolate.

As her tongue dissolved the milk chocolate, Kirsten's eyes widened in surprise as what was left of the hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach was consumed by a light and warm one.

"What was that thing?" Harry asked Lupin.

"A dementor," Kirsten spoke up, "one of the guards of that wizard prison, Azkaban."

Everyone in the compartment stared at Kirsten, and Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Kirsten is exactly correct," he said, and then looked at us all. "Eat. It'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me…"

He strolled out of the compartment and disappeared into the corridor.

"How'd you know that?" Harry asked her.

"I happened to read a bit on magical beings," Kirsten told him, and he raised eyebrow arches even more.

"When did you ever read?"

Her mouth dropped open in mock anger, remembering when Sophia asked the same question before leaving the orphanage. She was mischievous, not illiterate.

"I take pride in education," the witch said sarcastically, before her expression turned serious. "Anyways, what happened?"

Taking another bite, Harry looked just as lost as Kirsten was about the whole ordeal. The two looked at everyone else.

"Well—that thing—the dementor—stood there and put its hand on Kia's face, and you sort of froze on the spot, Kirsten, and fell on top of Professor Lupin—and Harry, you—you—"

"I thought you were having a fit or something," Ron said, looking as nervous as he was. "You went sort of rigid and fell out of your seat and started twitching—"

Kirsten's mouth dropped open at that piece of information. _Twitching?_

"And Professor Lupin, still holding Kia, went up toward the dementor, and pulled out his wand," Hermione continued, "and he said, 'None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go.' But the dementor didn't move, so Lupin muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it, and it turned around and sort of glided away…"

"It was horrible," a boy said with a high voice. He had brown hair and a round face. She recognized his voice as the one who sat on her. "Did you feel how cold it got when it came in?"

"I felt weird," Ron agreed, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably. "Like I'd never be cheerful again…"

It was then that Kirsten remembered another visitor in their compartment. She looked around to see the little redhead huddled in a corner, looking almost as bad as Harry.

"But didn't any of you—fall out of your seats?" Harry asked awkwardly.

"No," Ron replied looking anxiously at Harry again.

"If it makes you feel any better, I fell on top of the new professor, Harry," Kirsten said, biting into a piece of chocolate and giving Harry a wink. "I think that's a bit more shameful." She saw his mouth twitch up into a smile along with everybody else.

"Very shameful it is. You're quite the heavy one," Kirsten heard an amused voice near the door. "I haven't poisoned the chocolate, though I see one person who hasn't thought I had."

She looked in the direction of the doorway where Lupin stood standing. The look he was giving her was one of the oddest she has seen. A mix of emotions that she caught surfacing in his eyes. A blend of confusion, sadness, anger, and happiness all rolled into one. But now he was looking at her as if she were an old friend.

"We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," Professor Lupin said,. "Are you all right, Harry?"

"Fine," Harry muttered, looking embarrassed. Kirsten sat down next to Neville and Professor Lupin sat down next to her in his original seat. The round faced boy eyed Kirsten apprehensively and she decided to throw a smile his way.

"Hi, name's Kirsten Carlisle. You must be Neville," she said. The grey eyed witch was surprised when the boy became more nervous.

"Uh… how—how did—you know—my name?" he stuttered.

"I heard it when you sat on me earlier," she told him, and his entire face turned red with embarrassment and fear.

"I'm—I'm sorry!" he squeaked.

"I didn't know I looked so scary," she said, jokingly and smiled at him. Neville gave her a small smile back; however, his face was still as red as ever.

The rest of the short train ride ended in an uneventful silence and the train slowed to a stop. Eager to leave the train, Kirsten reached to get her trunk but Hermione informed her that they didn't take their trunks with them. She was ecstatic thatAnd with the good news that Kirsten didn't have to lug around her heavy trunk, she stepped out of the train only to be soaked with cold raindrops; her black hair dripping wet within a few seconds.

"Firs' years this way!" she heard an all too familiar voice call out. Turning around, Kirsten's eyes met a gigantic outline.

"C' mere, Kirsten!" she heard Hagrid yell over the bustling crowd.

"See you later," Kirsten said. She pushed a bunch of shrieking girls out of her way and joined Hagrid, who was with a bunch of little kids surrounding. Some of them stared at her strangely.

"How're ya?" Hagrid asked her, smiling.

"I'm great," she replied, the freezing drops hitting them all harder than ever.

"Well, Professor McGonagall told me yer to be sorted with the firs' years," Hagrid informed her, then looked down at all the little eleven year olds surrounding us. "C'mon, follow me—any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Kirsten followed behind Hagrid down a steep narrow path in silence. _How awkward. I'm like a foot taller than these midgets…_

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

Turning a corner, Kirsten's eyes widened in amazement. Perched on top of a high mountain was a vast castle with turrets and towers decorating the sides of the vast building.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called. Kirsten looked around to see Hagrid pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.

The thirteen-year-old witch got into a boat with two nervous looking first years and one defiant looking little eleven year old.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid shouted from his own boat. "Right then — FORWARD!" And the little boats started off across the lake. As they got closer they ducked underneath a cliff and then clambered out of the boats as they got onto rocky land. The group walked up a rock passageway, some of the little kids tripping in front of Kirsten and she had to catch a couple of them. Kirsten's shoes sunk in the mud, as she got on the grass in front of the castle. Reaching a flight of stone steps, Kirsten noticed the large oak doors swung open at once and they all got inside. She didn't bother to wring out the excess water in her soaking hair.

"Thank you, Hagrid!" Kirsten heard a squeaky voice call out. She looked ahead above the first years' heads to see a short tiny man.And she thought the first years were midgets.

The tiny man guided them towards a small chamber where she could hear droned voices from beyond the door to the left. The rest of the school must already be in there. The short little man introduced himself as Professor Flitwick, and began telling them about the different houses and how they were going to be sorted any minute now. He excused himself to go and get the doors open when Kirsten heard all the voices.

"Aren't you a little too old to be a first year?" the boy from the crowd of little kids in front of her said. It was the little cocky boy that shared the boat with her. They all turn around to face her, since she was in the back.

"I'm eleven," Kirsten lied, smiling down at all of them and moving her hair to the side, away from her face.

"You're lying!" the defiant looking boy shouted.

"Really? You think I'm lying about my age?" Kirsten asked him and the little boy snorted in response.

"My mum lies about her age all the time," he told her, confidently puffing out his chest.

"But the difference between me and your mum is that she's obviously an older woman and I'm a younger woman," Kirsten said, and a smile tugged at her lips as the young boy contemplated on what she told him.

"You can't be eleven! I saw you talking with Harry Potter!" one of the kids in the crowd exclaimed. All of the eleven year olds looked at the girl who just gave them that piece of information and then looked at Kirsten with excited expressions on their face.

"Yeah! I saw her with him, too!"

"You know Harry Potter?"

"How come you're here now?"

"Why didn't you start earlier?"

Dozens of questions were thrown at Kirsten from the crazed children until they all finally stopped in order for her to answer their questions.

"So…you guys scared 'bout the sorting?" she asked, trying to get away from the topic about Harry and the sounds of murmuring children filled the chamber once again. _Harry told me he was famous, but damn…_

"I heard you have to face a dragon."

"No! My brother told me you have to face a troll!"

"No! It's none of those, but my sister said it hurts a lot!"

Kirsten chuckled at their theories and what their older siblings had said to scare them.

"Actually, I heard it's a hat," she said, remembering what Harry told her about the sorting. All the kids looked at her disbelievingly and before a single one of them could utter a word Professor Flitwick arrived.

"Okay! We are all ready for you!" the squeaky voice of Professor Flitwick cried out. All the first years passed Kirsten, and she walk several feet behind the last one. Entering through the large doors, Kirsten's mouth dropped open in awe.

The hall looked to be lit by thousands of candles floating in midair over four long tables, piled with golden plates and goblets and with the students of the different houses. Her head tilted upward to gaze at the magical and cloudy ceiling with rain drops that never reached the floor.

The grey eyed witch looked around to see that people were staring at the group of midgets, or more likely staring at her; seeing that she was by far the tallest one out of the bunch. Setting a stool on the ground with the flick of his wand, Professor Flitwick placed a hat on top of the high chair. As Kirsten's gaze focused on the rainy night sky, she heard a scratchy voice fill the hall singing about the four houses of Hogwarts.

By the end of the song, Kirsten couldn't help but let out in a sing song voice, "Told you so." The confident kid did not look so confident as he glanced back at her.

"Adams, Stephen," Professor Flitwick called out. Kirsten's eyes flickered at the stool with the hat, but her focus remained on the enchanted ceiling. The clouds above her were swirling, mixed with water droplets that never reached her face. It was beautiful.

"Carlisle, Kirsten," Professor Flitwick mentioned her name. Breaking her gaze from the ceiling, Kirsten looked all around the hall and noticed that she was the last one standing with every single person in the hall staring in her direction. It was a bit unnerving to her with so many people watching, but Kirsten shrugged it off._  
_

She swore the man was going in alphabetical order.

Making her way up to the stool, Kirsten settled herself down and Professor Flitwick handed her the hat. She placed the hat on her head.

"Ahh… difficult… like your mother and father…" a small voice said in her ear. "Plenty of courage. A lot of wit, a lot of potential indeed, though I can see you don't care to use it as intended. Ravenclaw isn't for you."

A low chuckle escaped her lips as she remembered that Ravenclaw was for the highly intelligent.

"Gryffindor, yes? Very courageous... but… Slytherin, eh? Like your father's family… although he was in Gryffindor with your mother," the hat mused. "Slytherin, hmmm…."

"How about not," Kirsten muttered to the hat.

"You sure?" the small voice questioned. "The power that you possess can lead you to greatness!"

"Greatness?" she whispered to herself. She noticed several people looking at her curiously.

_Great power? Maybe —_

"SLY—"

"No!" she said firmly, before the hat could finish the name. She could hear some people laughing.

Was she actually considering Slytherin house? She must be mad if she wanted to stick herself in the same house as Malfoy. It would be like purposefully sticking herself in the same room as Victoria.

"Are you sure, _Kirsten_? The power you possess —"

"I'm pretty damn sure," Kirsten muttered angrily at the hat, but more angry at herself for even suggesting that she had great power. She had no idea what possessed her to even think about it.

"Hmm….Well, it better be…GRYFFINDOR!"

A thunderous roar of clapping and cheering met her ears as she pulled the hat from her head and handed it to the small man. As Kirsten reached the table, she settled herself next to Hermione while Ron and Harry across from the two of them. She saw Harry's eyes on her curious, but she ignored him for now. Kirsten knew he'll ask her later.

Instead, she thanked everyone around her who were continuously congratulating her on making it to Gryffindor and a couple of boys named Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan introduced themselves.

The hall suddenly became quiet as an elderly man stood. A long silver beard trailed down the front of his robes, his twinkling blue eyes looking over all of the students.

Albus Dumbledore.

"Welcome!" he said, with a smile. Kirsten's entire body shivered when his blue orbs connected with hers. Instead of smiling at the elderly man, she tilted her head and stared at him. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it is best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…" Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business." The resentment in Dumbledore's voice was clear as her eyes caught his angered expression.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises—or even Invisibility Cloaks," he added and from the corner of Kirsten's eye, she spotted Harry and Ron share a glance.

"It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I, therefore, warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors," he warned, blue eyes examining the crowd of students.

"On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year.

"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Scattered, unenthusiastic applause follows the announcement. Only Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Kirsten were clapping hard.

The new professor stared right at Harry and Kirsten, as if, reminiscing a memory but her eyes no longer lingered on him. Kirsten's eyes examined the man who was throwing Remus Lupin a look of loathing she had never seen before. Strands of greasy, black hair fell onto the man's face with the hooked nose, and this gave away – according to Ron's description of greasy hair – that the man was none other than Professor Snape.

"Look at Snape!" Kirsten heard Ron hiss to Harry.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore said as the applauding died down. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his game-keeping duties."

Cheering and clapping as hard as she did for Lupin, Kirsten glanced at a ruby red but grinning Hagrid staring down at his enormous hands.

"We should've known!" Ron roared, pounding the table. "Who else would have assigned us a biting book?"

"Well I think that's everything of importance," Dumbledore continued when the applause died down. "Let the feast begin!"

The empty plates before her were no longer empty as mountains of food covered the table. Looking around the Great Hall, Kirsten's eyes roamed the spacious room. Her thoughts roamed back to what Dumbledore had mentioned about Dementors. Schoolmates were all oblivious to the obvious danger held just outside these walls while they chatted animatedly and filled their stomachs with food. Just outside these walls were soulless creatures who could give an unfortunate soul a kiss. A kiss that can bring a fate worse than death.

Not only did the dementors inhabit her thoughts but how she got to be here. So many things happened in the course of a month. And one thing was for certain. She wouldn't forget the steely grey eyes that saved her from nearly getting run over.

"Kirsten?"

The voice jerked Kirsten from her thoughts and she looked towards the source of the voice.

"Just thinking…of how great it is to be here," Kirsten told Hermione with a smile. Even though Hermione and Kirsten have known each other for a while, she could tell Hermione didn't quite believe that was what she was really thinking about.


	7. Talons and Tea Leaves REVISED

**REVISED 1/1/13. **

"Kia, wake up!"

"Go away," Kirsten Carlisle grumbled into her covers, shifting so she could get into a more comfortable spot on the bed.

"Kirsten! We're an hour late!" the black haired witch heard Hermione screech.

Kirsten couldn't help but let out a muffled laugh at the thought that Hermione would think that she would run out of bed just because she was late to class. Although, it was her first day and she didn't exactly want to make an awful impression.

It took all her will to shove herself out of bed and head over to the bathroom to get ready for class. After brushing her teeth and taking a shower, she pulled on her uniform and robes.

"You're not even going to dry your hair?" Hermione asked, but Hermione already knew the answer as she whipped out her wand. With the flick of her wand and an incantation, Kirsten's curly black hair was no longer dripping wet but damp. She didn't care to put any product in it to keep the frizz at bay. She just wanted to get the day over with and get back to sleep.

The grey eyed witch grabbed her bag from her trunk and both Hermione and Kirsten made their way down the stairs.

"Just in case you haven't noticed…I'm not exactly a morning person," Kirsten muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh I definitely haven't noticed," Hermione replied sarcastically as they walked down the stairs of the dormitory. From the corner of her eye, however, Kirsten could see the bushy haired witch smiling.

The duo spotted Harry and Ron downstairs and the four of them headed out of the portrait. Kirsten couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the size of the castle.

_How am I going to find my way through this…_

"Don't worry, we'll be with you to get to classes," Ron reassured Kirsten after glancing at her, recounting the times in his first year that he was lost. They finally reached the entrance hall and walked through the Great Hall doors. Kirsten saw Malfoy, with a bunch of green uniformed students, swooning; a roar of laughter followed.

"Ignore him," Hermione said from beside Kirsten to Harry. "Just ignore him, it's not worth it…."

"Hey, Potter!" a black haired pug faced girl called out, with a smug expression on her face. "Potter! The dementors are coming, Potter! _Woooooo!_"

Kirsten thought the blond had to be kidding if that was the best joke he could come up with. Her lips curved into a smirk and she shot a glance in their direction.

"Ugh! Is that Potter's girlfriend?" Kirsten heard the same girl say loudly. Kirsten sat down next to Fred Weasley, Harry sitting opposite me next to George.

"New third-year course schedules," George said passing over papers, and Fred handed one to Kirsten. "What's wrong with you Harry?"

"Malfoy," Ron replied. Kirsten looked up again just in time to see Malfoy pretending to faint with terror.

"That little git," George said calmly. "He wasn't too cocky last night when the dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?"

"Nearly wet himself," Fred said with a contemptuous glance at Malfoy. She raised an eyebrow at this and grinned while looking down at her timetable.

"Ooh, good, we're starting some new subjects today," Hermione said happily. Kirsten looked up to see Ron looking over her shoulder with a frown on his face.

"Hermione," Ron said, his frown increasing as he read further down, "they've messed up your schedule. Look—they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough _time_."

"I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

"But look," Ron said laughing, "see this morning? Nine o' clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o' clock, Muggle Studies. And"—Ron leans closer with a disbelieving look on his face—"_look—_underneath that, Arithmancy, _nine o' clock_. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's _that_ good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"

"Don't be silly," Hermione said shortly. "Of course I won't be in three classes at once." 'Three classes at once? Harry told me she is really smart, but nobody can be in three places at one time unless they can time travel.'

"Well, then—"

"Pass the marmalade," Hermione said.

"But—"

"Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my schedules a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall." Just then I spotted Hagrid coming in the Great Hall, absentmindedly swinging a dead animal in his hands.

"All righ'?" he said rather eagerly. "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five gettin' everythin' ready…. Hope its okay…. Me, a teacher… hones'ly…" Kirsten peered closer at the dead animal.

He grinned at them all and made his way up to the staff table, still swinging the dead animal.

"Wonder what he's been getting ready?" Ron asked, a note of anxiety in his voice.

"Worried?" Kirsten asked. She received raised eyebrows in response.

"Hagrid's well known for loving dangerous animals," George informed her.

Ron checked his course schedule as most of the students headed off to their classes.

"We'd better go, look, Divination's at the top of North Tower. It'll take us ten minutes to get there…." Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Kirsten all got up and left for the North Tower.

"Good Lord! How far is this room?" Kirsten breathed out, heaving a sigh.

"I—don't—know—but—there's—got—to—be—a—shortcut," Ron panted as they climbed up the seventh long staircase. The group of four ended up on a landing with only a large painting containing a bare stretch of grass hanging on the stone wall.

"I think it's this way," Hermione said. However, Kirsten just stared at the painting as a fat, dapple-gray pony ambled onto the grass and began to eat nonchalantly. A knight, short and squat, in a suit of armor clanked into the picture, and she couldn't help but grin at the green stains on his armor on his knees.

"Aha!" he yelled finally noticing them. "What villains are these that trespass upon my private lands! Come to scorn at my fall, perchance? Draw, you knaves, you dogs!"

Kirsten's mouth dropped open as the little knight tugged his sword out of its scabbard and started brandishing it, and she started to laugh.

"You dare laugh at I? You —" he swung his sword at Kirsten wildly and he tripped and fell, causing the grey eyed witch to double over in laughter.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked moving closer to the picture.

"Get back, you scurvy braggart! Back, you rogue!" The knight picked himself up and tried to pick up his sword, but the blade was in too deep, so he dropped down on the ground, visor up, clearly exhausted.

"Hey, can you help us find North Tower?" Kirsten asked the knight, finally getting over laughing at him.

"A quest!" the knight jumped up not even angry that she had just laughed at him. He got onto his feet, "Come follow me, dear friends, and we shall find our goal, or else shall perish bravely in the charge!" He tried to get on his horse but failed miserably.

"On foot then, good sirs and gentle ladies! On! On!" And he started running, his armor clanking loudly, and went into the left side of his frame and out of sight. The four of them hurried after him along the corridor, only knowing where he was by the sound of his armor. Kirsten looked back to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione behind her by a good distance, and grinned.

"Oh come on! Stop being lazy!" she called out to them, and continued to follow him.

Kirsten could swear she heard Ron swearing about how she was the lazy one. The knight's clanking stopped and she could hear the murmur of voices above her. Harry, Hermione, and Ron arrived shortly behind her.

"Farewell!" the knight cried from a portrait of some sinister looking monks. "Farewell, my comrades-in-arms! If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, call upon Sir Cadogan!"

"Yeah, we'll call you," Ron muttered as the knight disappeared, "if we ever need someone mental." At his comment, Kirsten lightly hit Ron lightly on his head.

"It's rude to call someone mental," she said, watching Ron rub his head. "He's just a bit mental."

"That's what I just said, and you hit me!" Ron said.

"No, I didn't call him mental."

"But you just called him mental!"

"I just said he's a bit mental."

"But—!" Kirsten ignored him and walked off up the rest of the stairs and saw that most of the class was already there. The door was nowhere to be seen. She looked around but didn't see it anywhere, and then look up to see a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque on it.

"'Sibyll Trelawney, Divination teacher,'" she heard Harry say. Kirsten followed his gaze upwards to see a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque that read the words Harry read the same words as the plaque. "How're we supposed to get up there?"

The trapdoor suddenly opened as the words left Harry's mouth, and a silvery ladder descended right at Harry's feet. Everyone became quiet. Harry was the first one up, then Ron. Kirsten climbed the ladder next, with Hermione right below her. She pulled herself up and looked around the classroom. Around the stuffy attic-like room, twenty small, circular tables were crammed inside, all surrounded by chintz armchairs and fat little poufs. The lighting in the room was a dim crimson light, since there were dark red scarves draped over the lamps, and a fire burning under the mantel piece. The shelves running around the circular walls were crammed with dusty-looking feathers, stubs of candles, many packs of tattered playing cards, countless silvery crystal balls, and a huge array of teacups.

"Where is she?" Ron asked as the rest of the class entered the classroom.

"Welcome," Kirsten heard a soft, misty sort of voice coming from the shadows. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last." The figure moved into the firelight and she saw a woman's thin figure; large glasses magnified her eyes to several times their natural size and a gauzy spangled shawl was draped over her shoulder. Numerous chains and beads were around her spindly neck, and her arms and hands were filled with bangles and rings.

"Sit, my children, sit," she said. Kirsten complied by settling down in one of the squishy armchairs; Harry, Ron, and Hermione joining her.

"Welcome to Divination," Professor Trelawney said, seating herself in a winged armchair in front of the fire. "My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of things of the main school clouds my Inner Eye."

Kirsten stared at her.

"So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field..."

The grey eyed witch decided to look at Hermione and saw a startled expression cross her face while Harry and Ron grinned at each other and then grinned at Kirsten.

"Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future," Professor Trelawney went on, her gleaming eyes moving to each of her students. "It is a Gift granted to few. You, boy," she said suddenly to Neville. "Is your grandmother well?"

"I think so," Neville said tremulously.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, dear," Professor Trelawney said, the firelight glinting on her long emerald earrings. She began to tell the class the curriculum and added things here and there to random people, like to Kirsten's roommate Lavender Brown that the thing she will be dreading will happen on this date. The group of four split into two pairs; Ron with Harry, and Kirsten with Hermione. They filled their teacups and drank the scalding tea to use the remains to predict their futures.

"This class is so pointless," Hermione whispered to Kirsten, who gave her a grin.

"I think it is too, but as long as she doesn't come near me and start doing any of that Inner Eye, then I'm fine," the black haired witch told her, grabbing her cup to try and _see _what it is.

"Just looks like someone took a shit in here," Kirsten stated. Hermione chuckled at that along with Harry and Ron. Kirsten could feel Professor Trelawney's gaze on her back. Ron tried to tell what the blob in Harry's cup meant, but Professor Trelawney came and took it from him to see what it was. She started rotating it counterclockwise staring into the teacup

"The falcon…my dear, you have a deadly enemy."

"But everyone knows _that_," Hermione said in a loud whisper. Professor Trelawney stared at her.

"Well, they do," Hermione said. "Everyone knows about Harry and You-Know-Who." Professor Trelawney once again stared at Hermione, and Kirsten turned to look at her too. Professor Trelawney ignored Hermione, and lowered her eyes to Harry's cup again and continued to turn it.

"The club…an attack. Dear, dear, this is not a happy cup…."

"I thought that was a bowler hat," Ron said sheepishly.

"The skull…danger in your path, my dear…." The grey eyed witch stared at Professor Trelawney as she turned the cup the last time, gasped, and then screamed. _The hell?_

Kirsten flinched at the sudden screaming. She heard another tinkle of breaking china, and Professor Trelawney sunk into a vacant armchair, her glittering hand at her heart, her eyes closed. This woman was way too dramatic.

"My dear boy…my poor, dear boy…no…it is kinder not to say…no…don't ask me…"

"What is it?" Dean Thomas asked at once. It soon became crowded around our table, the rest of the students wanting to get a better look at the cup.

"My dear," Professor Trelawney's huge eyes opened dramatically, "you have the Grim."

"The what?" Harry asked.

"The Grim Reaper?" Kirsten asked.

"The Grim, my dears, the Grim!" Professor Trelawney cried out looking at Kirsten then Harry. "The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen—the worst omen—of _death_!" Kirsten raised an eyebrow at the professor.

Kirsten looked momentarily confused as she stared at Professor Trelawney. In all honesty, she thought every type of omen was bad. Hermione got out of her seat and moved around to the back of Professor Trelawney's chair.

"_I _don't think it looks like a Grim," she said flatly. Kirsten's lips crept up into a grin.

Professor Trelawney looked at Hermione and Kirsten could tell she did not like her.

"You'll forgive me for saying so, my dear, but I perceive very little aura around you. Very little receptivity to the resonance of the future." Seamus Finnigan started tilting his head side to side.

"It looks like a Grim if you do this," he said, squinting his eyes so much it looks like their shut, "but it looks more like a donkey from here," he added, leaning to the left.

"When you've all finished deciding whether I'm going to die or not!" Harry stated out.

"I think we will leave the lesson here for today," Professor Trelawney said in her misty voice. "Yes…please pack away your things…." The whole class silently took their teacups back to Professor Trelawney. Kirsten handed hers to Ron who took hers back up with his and Harry's. The black haired witch looked back at Harry to see him all nervous.

"Oh come on, Harry, don't listen to what she's saying, she's just trying to start something," Kirsten reassured him.

"Kia's right," Hermione agreed coming back, and picking up her bag. Harry and Ron looked at her in shock, but they said nothing.

"I have no idea why you said Hermione was a _model_ student," Kirsten whispered to Harry, Ron listening in as well. "I'm really liking her."

Kirsten grabbed her bag and made her way towards the trapdoor.

"Until we meet again," Professor Trelawney said faintly, "fair fortune be yours. Oh, and dear"—she pointed at Neville—"you'll be late next time, so mind you work extra-hard to catch up." Kirsten already went down the ladder and waited for Hermione, Ron, and Harry, and they headed to their next class Transfiguration.

Kirsten entered a room that actually looked like a real classroom and took a seat right next to Hermione at a table beside Harry and Ron at the back of the room. Kirsten noticed that everyone in the class started shooting furtive glances at Harry every now and then. But the black haired witch's eyes were on a woman at the front of the room. Her tight bun secured her hair in place and Kirsten practically felt the strict aura protruding from this woman.

And this must be her Head of House.

Professor McGonagall began talking about Animagi, wizards that could transform into animals at will. Then suddenly the professor began to get smaller and smaller, and furrier and furrier. Soon a tabby cat with spectacle markings around its eyes took Professor McGonagall's place. Kirsten's eyes widened.

"Now that is cool," the grey eyed witch stated as Professor McGonagall turned back into her regular self again with a faint _pop_. She looked at Kirsten with appreciation, and then looked at the rest of the class.

"Really, what has got into you all today?" Professor McGonagall asked, staring all around. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class; besides our new addition." Everybody turned to look at Harry not saying a word, but Kirsten just kept her face forward while Hermione raised her hand.

"Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and—"

"Ah, of course," Professor McGonagall said, frowning suddenly. "There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"

At McGonagall's words, Kirsten's lips twitched up into smile. No one said a word and the black haired witch turned to Harry.

"Me," Harry admitted.

"I see," Professor McGonagall said, fixing her beady eyes on Harry. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sibyll Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I will never speak ill of my colleagues—"

Professor McGonagall suddenly broke off her nostrils white. "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney—" Professor McGonagall went on more calmly but stopped again.

"You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in," she said in a more matter-of-fact tone. Kirsten burst out laughing along with Hermione. She looked over at Harry, to see him feeling a bit better, but Ron still looked worried.

As the lesson progressed with the explanation of Animagi, Kirsten remembered something. Padfoot insinuated that he was that dog… _Could it be?_

Kirsten raised her hand, only to be called on by Mcgonagall within a second.

"So, if there are only a few registered Animagi, does that still mean that there are unregistered Animagi?" Kirsten asked, remembering the night she left the orphanage.

"There is possibility for illegal Animagi, however, the initial transfiguration is very complex. Many disasters could occur if the one becoming an Animagi is not skilled or not under supervision," McGonagall said. Kirsten's face froze as she realized what Black was. That had to be how he escaped Azkaban. But wouldn't the dementors sense him? Maybe dementors couldn't sense animals...

The lesson passed and Kirsten was still in a daze. Funny how she learned so much in one lesson of Professor McGonagall's class than a years worth of Mrs. Angel's class.

"Miss Carlisle, if you would come over here so I can have a word with you," Professor McGonagall called out as soon as the lesson was over.

"I'll meet up with you in a little bit," she told the trio over her shoulder. Kirsten turned back around to face Professor McGonagall.

"Did you need Professor?" Kirsten asked.

"As you probably know I am your Head of House. Now since you have started late in your magical education, it is only appropriate for you to receive extra assignments to catch you up with your year," she said. "Professor Dumbledore assumed that you will be more than capable of extra lessons."

Professor McGonagall pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it over to the third year. "This timetable consists of the teacher and the days of the week you are to meet with a certain professor."

"Thanks, Professor," Kirsten said, reading off the different classes that she would have to catch up with. But the list of extra lessons and teachers were the last things on her mind. The fact that Sirius Black was an Animagus was practically shouting in her ear. She didn't know if she should tell her head of house or just keep quiet.

For all Kirsten knew she could be wrong, but that would explain why that dog was watching her or how the dog that pushed her away from the car was suddenly replaced by a man. He pushed her out of the way._  
_

"Well Miss Carlisle run along then, I expect that you have another class after lunch," she said. And with that, the argument of whether Kirsten should tell McGonagall about her theory on Sirius Black came to a close. Besides they would have asked questions that Kirsten would rather not answer, or worse, think that she was in league with him.

"Alright, see you Professor," Kirsten said, smiling at the stern witch. Her eyes roamed the paper once again, this time reading it, and she couldn't help but sigh in contempt. As much as she has been enjoying this whole magical education, she didn't exactly enjoy writing essays.

Following a crowd of students to the Great Hall, Kirsten finally entered through the doors and sat down next to Ron.

"Blimey, Kia, it's not like you skipped breakfast," Ron said, staring as she stuffed spaghetti in her mouth. Kirsten's grey eyes glanced at him quickly but she continued to eat; finishing after several minutes.

"Do you not remember our journey to Divination?"

Ron nodded his head in agreement.

"So, Kia, what did Professor McGonagall want to talk about with you?" Hermione asked.

"The extra lessons to catch me up with you all." Hermione nodded her head in understanding and took out her Arithmancy book, propping it open against the juice jug.

"Don't forget to ask me for help if you need any," Hermione said, while searching for a page in her book. "I think Divination seems very woolly. A lot of guesswork, if you ask me."

"There was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup!" Ron said hotly.

"You didn't seem so confident when you were telling Harry it was a sheep," Hermione replied coolly.

"Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just don't like being bad at something for a change!" Hermione slammed her Arithmancy book on the table, making bits of meat and carrot fly everywhere.

Both Harry and Kirsten shared a look with one another. She hadn't even known these two for long and she was getting used to their ridiculous arguments.

"If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Arithmancy class!" She snatched her bag up and stalked out of the Great Hall. _  
_

"What's she talking about?" Ron asked both Kirsten and Harry. "She hasn't been to an Arithmancy class yet."

Finishing her food quickly, Kirsten got up from her seat wondering the same thing Ron was thinking. However, she felt more pressing issues at hand.

"Well, I got to go to the bathroom. See you two in class," she told them, walking out of the hall.

* * *

After using the toilet, she left the bathroom to see that the hallway was was hoping to ask a student where the Care of Magical Creatures classroom was.

Kirsten was walking along the corridor and mentally cursed at herself. She really should've asked Harry and Ron to show her where the lavatory was and wait, because now she was lost. She looked at several of the canvases at the wall as she continued walking and was about to call out to a bunch of monks. But before she could even shout, something collided into her sending her to the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

A pale hand shot out at her and Kirsten grabbed a hold of it as the owner hoisted her up. Getting to her feet, Kirsten came face-to-face with a handsome boy. He was most definitely older than her, and looked to be the same age as Aaric. His dark grey eyes seemed to smile at her as his lips spread into a grin. He bent down to grab bag onto the floor. She didn't even notice that it was missing from her shoulder.

"It's alright," she told him, a small grin forming on her face. She grabbed her bag from his hands with a, "thanks."

"Name's Cedric Diggory," the older boy said. He held out his hand in greeting and Kirsten grasped it into a handshake.

"Kirsten Carlisle."

All she could do was stare at him. It was funny how much he reminded her of Aaric, yet the two looked nothing alike. They were both very handsome, that was for certain. She suddenly realized that she needed to head to her class. "Well, I need to head to class..."

Kirsten turned around and stopped in her tracks. Maybe he could help her.

"Are you lost?" he asked, noticing that she had no clue where she was heading.

"I was just about to ask you actually," the grey eyed witch admitted. "Do you know where the Care of Magical Creatures class is?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head in the opposite direction she was headed. "I could take you. I'm on my free period."

"You're a lifesaver," she told him, smiling. "Didn't realize how huge the school till now."

Cedric led her down the correct corridor and the two began talking as they walked to her class. The conversation moved from how she was adjusting to the school to her dislike of a certain Slytherin.

"He's not so much a bully than a damn idiot," she said, causing the Hufflepuff to chuckle. They were already outside of the school and heading towards teh forest. "I mean if you're going to insult someone, tell it like it is with class and grace."

"I guess Hagrid's teaching your class over there," Cedric said. He pointed his finger towards a group of students around in the outskirts of the huge forest. It didn't take long for the pair to get closer to the pack of students.

"So I'll see you around?" Cedric asked the black haired witch. Looking up into his dark grey eyes, Kirsten couldn't help the smile on her lips.

"Only if I get lost."

"That's pretty soon," he remarked. Kirsten grinned at his witty comeback and waved at him.

"See you, Cedric," she called, before heading towards the group of students now eyeing her. Waving at Hagrid, the giant of a man waved back in greeting and hurriedly walked to Hermione's side.

"So — er — Ki, you stroke the binding of the book —"

"Oh, thanks Hagrid," Kirsten said, pulling out her book which was closed shut with a belt. She did as instructed and the book no longer tried to break free of the belt's hold.

"Why are you late?" Ron asked, his eyes shifting from Cedric's retreating form to Kirsten suspiciously with Harry throwing her the same suspicious look.

"Snogging takes a while, Ron," she whispered jokingly. However, Ron or Harry for that matter didn't realize that she was joking as both their mouths dropped open. The only sensible one was Hermione, who looked on with amusement and disapproval.

"Righ' then," Hagrid said, "so—so yeh've got yer books an'—an' now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on…" He went into the forest and out of sight.

"God, this place is going to the dogs," Malfoy complained loudly. "That oaf is teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him —"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry said.

"Careful, Potter, there's a dementor behind you –"

"Shut up!" Kirsten said exasperated. "One more crack at Hagrid, and that lump's head is going up your ass," she said, nodding in Goyle's direction. Malfoy opened his mouth to most likely insult her but was interrupted by Lavendar Brown's squealing.

"Ooooooh!" The fellow Gryffindor was pointing towards the opposite side of the paddock. Kirsten looked over to see bizarre looking creatures trotting towards them. These creatures' bodies, hind legs, and tails resembled much of horses, but their front legs, wings, and heads resembled a giant eagle. Kirsten's eyes caught sight of their half a foot long talons and she grinned.

"Gee up, there!" Hagrid roared, shaking the chains, urging the Hippogriffs to come closer to them. The class scooted back slightly, but Kirsten stayed put.

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily. "Beau'iful, aren't they?"

These creatures really were beautiful, holding their body high and majestically.

"So," Hagrid said, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer —" No one seemed like they wanted to that so Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Kirsten approached the fence. Hagrid told them to never insult a hippogriff, and taught class how to approach the creatures. "Right—who wants ter go first?" The whole class backed away as those words left Hagrids mouth besides the group of four.

"I'll do it," Kirsten volunteered, but she heard another voice say the same exact words as her. Kirsten glanced at Harry who was beside her. At least she wouldn't be alone.

"Come on, then, both of yer!" Hagrid said excitedly. The two friends climbed over the paddock fence.

"Right then—let's see how yer both get along with Buckbeak." He untied one of the chains and pulled the gray hippogriff away from the rest, slipping the leather collar off.

"Gentleman first, Harry," Kirsten whispered to Harry. He shot her a look but turned around to face the hippogriff. Slowly Harry finally got the hippogriff to bow to him.

"Great job, Harry!" Hagrid cheered. "Now, Kia, its yer turn." Kirsten looked right at Buckbeak, not breaking contact, when all of a sudden it bowed down to her and began to come towards her.

"Will yer look at that!" Hagrid boomed out, ecstatic. "Now both of yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!" Both Kirsten and Harry reached out and began to pet Buckbeak, who closed his eyes lazily at the touch. The whole class broke into applause except for Malfoy, and his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, who looked rather disappointed.

"Righ' then, I reckon he might let yeh both ride him," Hagrid said. Harry got on top of Buckbeak first and looked down at Kirsten. The girl just stared up at Harry with dread. She wanted to smack the green eyed boy as he smiled down at her, holding his hand out. She grabbed a hold of his hand and paused. She had half a mind to pull him of the hippogriff and land in a heap on the floor. But decided against it and instead pulled herself up onto the hippogriff's back. Her arms wrapped around Harry's waist and she held on tight, immediately regretting her action. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she felt as if it were going to burst. One of her greatest fears was about to happen in a matter of seconds.

She scooted closer to Harry and held onto his waist in a deathlike grip, shoving her head against his back.

"I swear Harry, if you let go —" she warned.

"Go on, then!" Hagrid roared slapping the hippogriff's behind. Without warning the large twelve foot wings flapped open and the hippogriff flew into the air. She could feel rush of the wind the wings were producing as her hair whipped around her head. Kirsten took a peek and exhaled when she realized that they were not that high off the ground. The hippogriff continued to fly around the paddock and Kirsten kept her head up, looking at her surroundings. And realized something. She felt safe on the hippogriff's back. Even though she felt secure on the magical being's back, Kirsten still got off his back as quickly as she could.

"Good work, Harry, Kia!" Hagrid roared and everyone cheered besides the three Slytherins. "Okay, who else wants a go?"

The rest of the class climbed cautiously over into the paddock.

"See, flying's not that bad," Harry muttered to the grey eyed witch. "So will you learn how to ride a broom?"

The death glare sent his way caused him to laugh.

Kirsten watched the other students in her class bow down to their own hippogriff. She let out a laugh when Neville kept running away from his. Ron and Hermione practiced on a chestnut one while Kirsten just stayed near Buckbeak, petting him.

"Move, Carlisle. I want a go with it," Malfoy sneered. Kirsten smirked at the pompous git and moved slightly away from Buckbeak and stood close to Malfoy.

"By all means, have a go with him," Kirsten told him, crossing her arms.

After seconds of Malfoy staring the hippogriff down, and Kirsten's silent pleading for Buckbeak to attack him, he bowed back to Malfoy. Buckbeak moved closer to the two of them, which made both Crabbe and Goyle back away.

"This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry to hear him as well. "I knew it must have been, if you and Potter could do it…I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said to Buckbeak. Kirsten narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"

It was at that moment that Kirsten Carlisle wished that she stood with Harry instead of petting Buckbeak. As the hippogriff got on its hind legs, Kirsten felt something push her away. However, when she fell to the floor a searing sharp pain swept across her back.

Kirsten pushed her head off the ground to see Malfoy right next to her. Her vision was a bit blurry, but the fuzziness faded as she shook her head. Unfortunately, the searing pain was still there.

"I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled and Kirsten could hear people panicking. Her breathing was shallow as she tried to steadily pick herself up. She grunted in pain as she steadily pushed herself off the ground. The sharp pain in her back wouldn't allow her to stand up straight. She blinked back black dots forming in her vision and swayed dangerously. Almost falling to the ground, Kirsten felt a sturdy pair of arms keep her still. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"

Kirsten sucked in the pain for only several seconds as she glared at Malfoy and kicked the helpless boy on the ground.

The platinum blond wizard moaned in pain and began to whine once more, making Kirsten kick him once again after shrugging the pair of arms holding her up. The sound the fool was making was reduced to mere whimpering. As she turned slightly, the pain she felt almost sent her tumbling to the ground but she could feel another pair of arms around her.

"Thanks, 'Mione."

"Yer not dyin'!" Hagrid said, his face very white. "Kia! Yer—"

"I'm fine, Hagrid. I'll live, just pick him up and I'll be right behind you," she told him. The giant man looked unsure but went ahead and picked Malfoy up, leading the Kirsten and Hermione towards the castle.


	8. Professor Snape REVISED

**REVISED 1/2/13.**

"Can I leave now?"

That was the one question that Kirsten Carlisle wouldn't stop repeating since she was taken to the hospital wing. She was stuck in this damn wing for two days with Harry, Hermione, and Ron visiting the wing constantly. She was somewhat surprised when the other Weasley siblings showed, along with Cedric, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell. She wouldn't have minded being in the wing, it was just the boy on the next bed that bothered her to no end. He grated her nerves especially after he provoked Buckbeak into attacking them both.

"Yes, yes, dear, you may leave in a moment," a woman snapped at her, bustling into the room and coming towards the grey eyed witch. A grin spread onto the girl's face by the news of her release.

"Now dear, let me see your wound," Madame Pomfrey said, putting down her antidotes at the bedside table, and reaching for Kirsten's shirt.

"Honestly, Madam Pomfrey, I'm fine," Kirsten said. The woman glared at the young girl, her hands grasping her shirt. "Come on…any decency?"

"You're _fine_ now, but you won't be if you start jumping in front of attacking hippogriffs," she said angrily, unwinding the bandage on Kirsten's lower back. With the mirror in her hand, Kirsten was able to see her back unscathed. With the exception of a few small scars that graced her back from earlier times.

"See, not even a scratch from that one, and it doesn't hurt either," Kirsten cheerily said to her. The woman only scoffed at the remark, and left Kirsten to tend to Malfoy. The Gryffindor pulled on the robe of her uniform, and turned around to say something scathing at the Slytherin, only to see a sling on his arm. She looked at him in disbelief.

"Now you two, off to your classes," Madam Pomfrey commanded. Kirsten took out her timetable from her bag.

_Double Potions with the Slytherins._

"Where's the Potions classroom?" Kirsten asked the woman. She threw the young witch an odd look, but the look vanished as it suddenly turned into recognition.

"Oh yes, you're the new student. With the Slytherins?" Madame Pomfrey asked as she read Kirsten's timetable. The healer looked at Malfoy. "Well you can take her there, I suppose," she said to him and watched the two students.

The woman had to be mad. Did she not know of the hatred between Slytherins and Gryffindors?

It wasn't long before the Slytherin and Gryffindor were walking out of the double doors of the infirmary. The black haired witch reluctantly followed behind him as they walked through the corridors in silence. Something that truly surprised Kirsten.

"Carlisle, huh? I see you're in with Potter's crowd already."

Oh, she spoke too soon.

"You're one to talk, look at the two trolls you hang around with," she retorted, observing her surroundings. They walked down another set of stairs, and Kirsten looked suspiciously at Malfoy. This area looked like the dungeons. And the further down they went, the more Kirsten confirmed that it was.

"I hang around with the right sort, unlike you, conversing with blood traitors and Mudbloods," Malfoy remarked.

"Now, now…I thought I was a Mudblood in your eyes, Malfoy," she said, smirking at him. "Did daddy dearest correct you on your mistake?"

"Shut up, Carlisle."

He walked ahead of her and practically swaggered through the door.

Kirsten followed him to see a class full of students, Gryffindors and Slytherins. She spotted the same man, who was glaring at Lupin at the feast, glaring right back at her.

"Well, well, well, Carlisle. Waltzing in my class without an excused note I see. Twenty Points from Gryffindor," he said coldly. Kirsten stared at him disbelievingly. He had to be joking.

"Excuse me? Malfoy just came _waltzing_ in without an excused note and I see you doing absolutely nothing," the grey eyed witch retorted without thinking. The whole class seemed to become extremely quiet as the expression on Professor Snape's face turned murderous.

"Another twenty points from Gryffindor, Carlisle. Never speak with such disrespect to me. We are not in a Muggle school where you run amok. Take a seat, or I will give you a detention for a week," he snapped.

She had an inkling she'd have an asshole for a teacher. It wouldn't be school without that one teacher, and it just had to be one of the primary subjects.

Forty points were out of the bag and she hadn't even taken a seat yet.

Kirsten glanced around at the class and rolled her eyes, careful for Professor Snape not to see her. She didn't want to have anymore . The only empty seat was next to Malfoy, who was next to Harry. She made her way to the empty seat.

"Switch places with me, Malfoy," Kirsten whispered so Professor Snape couldn't hear, but this got the attention of Harry and Ron.

"No," he replied. She opened her mouth, but closed it seeing Professor Snape throw her a glare, just waiting for her to say something rude to Malfoy. The greasy haired professor informed the class that they had to create a Shrinking Solution.

As soon as Snape turned away from Kirsten, she glared at the blond next to her.

"Switch seats with me, you damn idiot," she told him, slamming her knife next to her cauldron. He glared at the grey eyed witch while Ron and Harry sniggered. He looked at them and then Kirsten, and smirked.

"Sir," Malfoy called, "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because my arm—"

"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," Snape said without looking up. Ron's face turned brick red.

"There's nothing wrong with your arm," Ron hissed at Malfoy and he smirked again.

"Weasley, you heard Professor Snape; cut up these roots." Kirsten, who was finished slicing her roots carefully, watched Ron seize his knife and chop Malfoy's roots roughly.

"Professor," Malfoy drawled, "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir." Snape approached their table, examined the disgustingly chopped roots Ron chopped, and gave Ron an unpleasant smile.

"Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley."

"But, sir—"

"_Now_," Snape said in a dangerous voice. Ron reluctantly slid his beautifully cut roots to Malfoy, and kept the mutilated roots.

"And, sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned," Malfoy said, his voice filled with desire to laugh maliciously at them.

"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig," Snape said, giving Harry a look of loathing the same he gave Kirsten.

With his vicious behavior, Kirsten was surprised the man didn't demand anything of her. She watched as Harry took Malfoy's shrivelfig and began skinning it fast. The black haired witch glanced over at Ron, who was having trouble repairing his roots and rolled her eyes.

"Ron, switch your roots with mine," she told him.

All three boys stared at the witch in surprise.

"Kia, you're kidding…right?" Ron asked, unsure himself about her behavior.

"Just give them to me. It's not as if I actually care about my grade in this class," Kirsten said, eyeing Snape from the corner of her eye and shrugged her shoulders. "And the way he docked off those points on me... He's going to give me an awful grade anyway."

Before Ron could say anything further, she grabbed his cutting board and switched it with hers. "Besides, I have to take extra potions with him to catch up…"

"Thanks, Kia," Ron said, gratitude displayed on his face. "You're a lifesaver."

"Yeah, I know," she replied, giving him a grin and getting back to her own work.

"Seen your pal Hagrid lately?"

She almost forgot the Slytherin was sitting next to her.

"None of your business," Ron said jerkily, without looking up.

"I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," Malfoy said, a note of mock sorrow in his voice. "Father's not very happy about my injury —"

"Keep talking, Malfoy, and I'll give you a real injury," Ron snarled.

"—he's complained to the school governors_. And_ to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know. And a lasting injury like this"—he gave a huge and fake sigh—"who knows if my arm'll ever be the same again?"

"So that's why you're putting it on," Harry said angrily. "To try to get Hagrid fired."

"Well," Malfoy said, and then he lowered his voice to a whisper, "_partly_, Potter. But there are other benefits too. Weasley, slice my caterpillars for me."

"Orange, Longbottom," Kirsten heard Snape say and turned her head to see a frightened Neville with Snape looking down at him. "Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"

It was like Malfoy and Snape practiced to be complete asses together. A tag team of sorts.

"Please, sir," Hermione said, "please, I could help Neville put it right —"

"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," Snape said coldly, and Hermione turned just as pink as Neville. "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly." Snape went away, but Neville's condition hadn't gotten any better.

"Help me!" he moaned to Hermione.

"Hey, Harry," an Irish accent called out near their table. Kirsten turned to see Seamus Finnigan leaning over Harry's brass scales, "have you heard? _Daily Prophet_ this morning—they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted." She narrowed her eyes at Seamus.

"Where?" Ron and Harry asked quickly. From beside her, Kirsten saw Malfoy lifting his head up and closer to Harry and Ron.

"Not too far from here," Seamus said, looking excited. "It was a Muggle who saw him. "Course, she didn't really understand. The Muggles think he's just an ordinary criminal, don't they? So she phoned the telephone hot line. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone."

Ron, Harry, and Kirsten shared a look between one another. The conversation they had on the train was the last time they had talked about Black. But now that the topic was brought back, Kirsten couldn't help but think about it.

"Not too far from here….," Ron repeated, shooting a significant glance at Harry, and they both turned to Kirsten and shared the same look once again. "What, Malfoy? Need something else skinned?"

Kirsten looked closely at Malfoy, and noticed his eyes were shining malevolently while fixed on Harry.

"Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Potter?"

"Yeah, that's right," Harry replied offhandedly. Kirsten raised an eyebrow at Harry's attitude and smirked.

"Of course, if it was me," Malfoy said quietly, "I'd have done something before now. I wouldn't be staying in school like a good boy, I'd be out there looking for him."

She narrowed her eyes at the contents of her cauldron, not looking Malfoy in the eyes. He knew something.

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Ron asked roughly.

"Don't you _know_, Potter?" Malfoy breathed.

"Know what?"

Malfoy let out a low, sneering laugh.

"Maybe you'd rather not risk your neck," he said. "Want to leave it to the dementors, do you? But if it was me, I'd want revenge. I'd hunt him down myself."

_"What are you talking about?"_ Harry asked angrily.

"You should have finished adding your ingredients by now; this potion needs to stew before it can be drunk, so clear away while it simmers and then we'll test Longbottom's…." Professor Snape said, interrupting the conversation between Harry and Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle laughed openly at Neville as he stirred his potion fervently. Kirsten grinned after spotting Hermione murmur instructions to Neville. Not exactly caring about her potion, Kirsten began to pack away all of her ingredients.

The end of the lesson soon came around and Professor Snape strode over to Neville and his cauldron.

"Everyone gather 'round," Snape said, his black eyes glittering. "And watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned." Kirsten couldn't help the smirk creeping onto her face as Professor Snape picked up Trevor. Well, wasn't he going to be pissed._  
_

He dipped a small spoon in Neville's potion and trickled a few drops down Trevor's throat. Everyone became still silent and Trevor gulped the potion down; a small pop rung around the room, and Trevor the tadpole was now wriggling in Snape's palm. All the Gryffindors in the class applauded Neville's success. Kirsten didn't miss the sour look on Snape's face as he pulled out a vial, no doubt the antidote, and placed a couple of drops on top of Trevor, who reappeared full grown.

"Five points from Gryffindor," Snape said. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."

Kirsten grabbed her bag and head out of the class.

"He is the biggest ass in the world," Kirsten stated as they left the room. Ron and Harry grinned in her direction.

"Kia, you shouldn't – "

"Told you so," Ron said, interrupting the bushy haired witch.

"I mean really! Five points off because the potion was all right? He seriously has something against all Gryffindors! And Malfoy! That son-of-a—ARGG!" something pushed Kirsten aside from them and she looked to see the blond haired demon himself.

"Careful Carlisle, you don't want to injure my arm, do you?" Malfoy drawled, passing by them with Goyle and Crabbe guffawing. If she couldn't take out her anger directly on Malfoy...

Her eyes landed on the large boy next to him._  
_

"Come on," she muttered, speeding up near Crabbe. She pulled out her leg slightly, catching Crabbe's leg and causing him to tumble down. He wasn't the only one to do so as he grabbed Goyle who accidentally slammed Malfoy against the wall.

The black haired witch's eyes widened slightly at the chain reaction but a smile spread on her lips as she heard others in the corridor laugh at their misfortune. Walking passed the three fallen Slytherin, she turned her head to look at them.

"I guess what goes around really does come around, huh?" she said, grinning at the blond on the floor. She waited for Ron, Harry, and Hermione to catch up with her and her grin turned into a smirk as she turned around and walked off with her three friends.

"You just made my day, Kia," Harry said, grinning.

"Honestly, why couldn't you be here during first year?" Ron said, looking behind them. "Where's Hermione? She was just here?"

Kirsten frowned at his question. Looking around, she couldn't find the couldn't find Hermione anywhere.

"There she is," Harry said, pointing ahead. Kirsten sped up to Hermione, with Harry and Ron following. She heard the bushy haired witch panting slightly and could see her tucking a sliver of gold in her robes.

"How did you do that?" Ron asked, as both him and Harry both meet up with the two witches.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"One minute you were right behind us, the next moment, you were back at the bottom of the stairs again."

"What?" Hermione asked once again, looking slightly confused. "Oh — I had to go back for something. Oh no —" At least a dozen large books spilled out of Hermione's bag, from a ripped seam.

"Why are you carrying all these around with you?" Ron asked her.

"You know how many subjects I'm taking," Hermione replied breathlessly. "Couldn't hold these for me, could you?" She handed Ron a couple of books, who flipped it over to take a look at the cover.

"You haven't got any of these subjects today. It's only Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon."

"Oh yes," Hermione said vaguely, but she packed all her books back in her bag. "I hope there's something good for lunch, I'm starving," she added.

With the look she threw Kirsten's way, the two girls left the boys behind and entered the Great Hall for lunch.


	9. The Boggart in the Wardrobe REVISED

**REVISED 1/2/13.**

Kirsten Carlisle walked straight into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom with Hermione by her side; Harry and Ron trailing after the two of them. She took a seat next to Ron, and looked around to see Professor Lupin not in here.

She couldn't remember the first time where she actually learned something from her classes. Even in Snape's class she would learn something from him besides the fact that he's a _Class-A Douche._

But Harry told her how Defense Against the Dark Arts would be the class where they would learn how to counter jinxes. And hopefully _learn _about them.

She noticed that all the students in the class were pulling out their books and silently prayed that they wouldn't have to use them during actual class time. Before she could take out her book, Professor Lupin strode into the room. She watched him as he put his tatty old briefcase on his desk.

"Good afternoon," he greeted the class. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."

"I can already see that this is going to be my favorite class," Kirsten muttered to Ron. He nodded his head in agreement and stuffed his belongings in his bag.

"Right then," Professor Lupin said after everyone put their belongings away. "If you'd follow me." All the students got to their feet and followed Professor Lupin out the door. He led them through the deserted corridor and around a corner where she saw a small transparent looking man, floating upside down in midair and stuffing a keyhole with chewing gum. The strange looking man, or whatever it was, looked up.

"Loony, loopy Lupin," he sang. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin —" I glanced at Professor Lupin to see him still smiling.

"I'd take that gum out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves," Lupin said pleasantly. "Mr. Filch won't be able to get in to his brooms." Peeves blew a loud and wet raspberry at Professor Lupin. The middle-aged man sighed and took out his wand.

"This is a useful little spell," he told his students over his shoulder. "Please watch closely." He pointed his wand right at Peeves.

"_Waddiwasi!" _Kirsten watched as the wad of chewing gum shot right out of the keyhole and straight into Peeves left nostril. The transparent man whirled up and zoomed away.

"Cool, sir!" Dean said in amazement.

"Thank you, Dean," Professor Lupin said, putting his wand away. "Shall we proceed?" Kirsten and the rest of class all set off again down a second corridor and stopped right outside a door.

"Inside, please," he said, opening it and standing back. She entered a long paneled room full of old mismatched chairs, and saw one seat occupied. Professor Snape's glittering eyes stopped at her, a nasty sneer playing around his mouth. Professor Lupin made to close the door behind him.

"Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this," Snape said.

He got to his feet and strode passed them. His black cloak flew behind him and he turned on his heel as he reached the doorway to face the rest of the class. "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear."

Neville turned scarlet at Snape's words.

Her eyes narrowed on the black haired man.

"I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation," Lupin said, "and I am sure he will perform it admirably." Kirsten looked over to see Neville turning a darker shade of scarlet. Snape's lip curled at Lupin's words. Kirsten didn't miss the nasty glare that he directed toward her before he left, shutting the door behind him. She couldn't help the anger and curiosity that surged through her. What exactly did she do to make him so furious with her?

"Now, then," Professor Lupin said, beckoning them towards the end of the room where an old wardrobe stands. It suddenly wobbled, banging off the wall.

"Nothing to worry about," Professor Lupin said calmly. "There's a boggart in there."

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," Professor Lupin said. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks — I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. _This_one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice.

"So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what _is_ a boggart?"

Hermione raised her hand up in an instant.

"It's a shape-shifter," she answered. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Professor Lupin said. "So the boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears." Neville's terrified whimper did not land on deaf ears.

"This means," Professor Lupin said, "that we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"

Kirsten glanced sideways and couldn't help the small grin on her face. Hermione was practically jumping up and down with her hand raised to answer the question, while Harry was trying to get his words together.

"Er—because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?" Harry answered.

"Precisely," Professor Lupin said, and Hermione put her hand down looking a bit disappointed. "It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a boggart make that very mistake — tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself in half a slug. Not remotely frightening.

"The charm that repels a boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a boggart is _laughter_. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing.

"We will all practice the charm without our wands first. After me …_ riddikulus!_"

"_Riddikulus_!" Kirsten said with the rest of the class.

"Good," Professor Lupin said. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where you come in, Neville." The wardrobe shook violently once again and Kirsten looked at Neville to see him shaking more than the wardrobe.

"Right, Neville," Professor Lupin said. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"

Kirsten saw Neville's lips move, but she couldn't hear any noise.

"Didn't catch that, Neville, sorry," Professor Lupin said cheerfully. Neville looked around wildly, practically begging for someone to help him.

"Professor Snape," he said in barely a whisper. The entire class couldn't help the laughter that burst from their mouths.

_Only Neville._

The black-haired witch looked over at Professor Lupin to see him pondering over something.

"Professor Snape…hmmm…Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Er—yes," Neville said nervously. "But — I don't want the boggart to turn into her either."

"No, no, you misunderstand me," Professor Lupin said, smiling. "I wonder, could you tell us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?"

Neville looked startled at the question. "Well…always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top. And a long dress…green, normally…and sometimes a fox-fur scarf."

"And a handbag?" Professor Lupin prompted.

"A big red one," Neville said.

"Right then," Professor Lupin said. "Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your mind's eye?"

"Yes," Neville replied uncertainly.

"When the boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape," Lupin said. "And you will raise your wand — thus — and cry 'Riddikulus' — and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag."

Kirsten busted out laughing again along with the rest of the class. The wardrobe wobbled more violently.

"If Neville is successful, the boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn," Professor Lupin continued. "I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical…."

Kirsten wondered what exactly she was afraid of. Certainly not DuPont...

She thought of Voldemort, but decided against it. She didn't even know what he looked like... nor was she remotely afraid of him. But his name did sound a bit bad ass.

_Oh!_

The memory of her thirteenth birthday came rushing at her. She closed her eyes, trying to get rid of the memory that entered her mind quickly.

"Take its legs off."

She opened her eyes to find muttering to himself, and smiled. Her eyes then moved over to Harry, who she saw shiver. He looked around and both their eyes met. Kirsten threw him a questioning look but he just shook his head. He raised his eyebrows as if to question what she feared the most. In response, Kirsten shrugged her shoulders and gave him a smirk.

"Ready?" she asked him. Harry opened his mouth to reply but Lupin beat him to it.

"Everyone ready?" Professor Lupin asked, looking around until his eyes landed on Neville.

"Neville, we're going to back away," Professor Lupin informed him. "Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward….Everyone back, now, so Neville can get a clear shot —"

Kirsten stepped back a couple of times with the rest of the class, and saw Neville's pale and frightened face. He pushed up the sleeves of his robes and held his wand readily.

"On the count of three, Neville," Professor Lupin said, pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. "One — two — three — _now_!"

A jet of sparks shot out from the end of Professor Lupin's wand, and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. She looked on as a hook-nosed and menacing Professor Snape stepped out, his eyes were flashing at Neville. Neville backed away mouthing wordlessly, while Boggart Snape reached inside his robes.

_"R—r—riddikulus!_" Neville squeaked and a whip-like crack sound followed. Boggart Snape stumbled back and, in an instant, he was wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture; his hand holding onto a huge crimson handbag. Once again, nobody could hold in their laughter, and Kirsten noticed the boggart pause, in confusion.

"Parvati! Forward!" Professor Lupin shouted.

Parvati walked forward, her face set with determination as Boggart Snape rounded on her. Another crack resounded in the room, and Boggart Snape vanished. In replacement of him, stood a bloodstained, bandaged mummy; its sightless face looking on at Parvati. It began to walk towards her very slowly, dragging its feet, its stiff arms rising —

"_Riddikulus!_" Parvati cried. The bandage unraveled at the mummy's feet and became entangled; its face fell forward and its head rolled off.

"Seamus!" Professor Lupin roared. Seamus moved forward to take on the boggart and successfully taken down his fear of banshees.

"Kirsten!"

Kirsten stepped forward to face the boggart. A large crack resonated throughout the room and the banshee vanished. In place of Seamus' boggart was a tall hooded figure. The entire class was way too quiet as they watched back and forth, between Kirsten and the boggart. Long black sleeves rose up to the hood and lowered it.

Grey eyes widened as the hood revealed a familiar face. Staring directly at Kirsten was herself. However, she was a much more frightening version. It wasn't that her eyes were black, but that the onyx color covered the whites of her eyes as well. Boggart Kirsten's facial features were sharper, and nobody could mistaken the sinister aura surrounding her. It was then that Kirsten realized the boggart was stalking in her direction, like a predator.

"_Riddikulus!_"

In an instant, boggart Kirsten began to melt. Her flesh was rolling off in droplets of black, leaving behind the muscle and skeletal anatomy. Boggart Kirsten was shrieking in agony; the noise close to what the banshee had sounded. Kirsten did not care what sound her boggart self was making. As long as it was melting…. The muscle and other internal organs were the next to go which left only her skeleton. Fortunately for everyone, they did not witness her internal organs melting because of the robe. Her remains and robes left in a heap on the floor surrounded by the black liquid.

"It's confused!" Lupin shouted. "We're getting there! Dean!"

Kirsten stepped back and her fellow Gryffindor took her place. Her mind was in a daze as she thought back to the day, she first saw that face. It was the day of her thirteenth birthday. When she first started hearing the heartbeats pounding in her head.

The kids in the orphanage weren't as bothersome that day, with the exception of Victoria, of course. The strange sound filled her head, and she was lucky to be in the bathroom of the orphanage at that time. The pounding was driving her mad and she wanted to stop it. They were causing her pain after all. And she was willing to do _anything_ to stop it. That included tearing the bathroom door open, and plunging her fist into everyone's chest. She wanted to hold their hearts in her hand. To hear their heartbeats fade from her head.

Instead, she clung onto one of the sinks, desperately trying to fight off the temptation. That's when she caught a look of herself in the mirror. Her facial features were a lot sharper. And _her eyes._

Kirsten involuntarily shuddered at the memory and watched her classmates. It was Ron's turn.

_Crack!_

An enormous spider, covered in hair, advanced on Ron. Its pincers were clicking menacingly at him. Her eyes widened and even took a step back.

"Holy..." she muttered under her breath.

"_Riddikulus!_" Ron bellowed. The spider's legs vanished and it fell to the floor, rolling over. Lavender squealed and ran out of the way as the spider's body stopped to a halt at Harry's feet. Harry raised his wand.

"Here!" Professor Lupin shouted suddenly, and he moved forward.

_Crack!_

The spider's legless body vanished. Kirsten glanced up to see a silvery-white orb hanging in the air in front of Lupin. At the sight of his boggart, Lupin's face paled; Kirsten noticed how sluggish his movements were as well.

"_Riddikulus!_" Lupin says almost lazily.

_Crack!_

"Forward, Neville, and finish him off!" Lupin said as the boggart landed on the floor as a cockroach.

Neville's approach brought the return of boggart Snape. Neville's face was full of determination as he brought up his wand.

"_Riddikulus!_" Neville shouted. The boggart exploded after a split second view of Snape in his lacy dress. Kirsten's eyes flitted back to where Lupin's boggart hung in mid air while he praised everyone on their work.

"Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on boggarts and summarize it for me…to be handed in on Monday. That will be all," Professor Lupin said, ending the lesson. Everyone walked passed Kirsten towards the door. _Why would he be afraid of a ball?_

"Kirsten, are you all right?" a voice broke her thoughts. She looked at the direction of where the voice came from and saw Professor Lupin standing there, looking rather concerned.

She nodded her head, still looking at the last spot the boggart was in before it was destroyed. The third year turned to leave through the door where the trio were waiting for her before she looked him in the eyes.

"Just curious…"


	10. Flight of the Fat Lady REVISED

**REVISED 1/6/13.**

In no time at all Defense Against the Dark Arts became Kirsten's favorite subject. It was not only her favorite class, but most of the students' as well. After studying about boggarts, the third year Gryffindors studied Red Caps, nasty little goblin-like creatures that lurked wherever there has been bloodshed. And after Red Caps they moved on to kappas, creepy water-dwellers that look like scaly monkeys. Only one insignificant group of students had a problem with Professor Lupin; the third-year Slytherins.

Care of Magical Creatures became extremely dull, after the action-packed first class. Kirsten really did prefer the more dangerous creatures. Especially when all they were learning now was how to take care of the damn flobberworms.

Kirsten somewhat paid attention during her extra lessons, considering a certain professor – who in all honesty didn't have that much grease in his hair as Ron depicted once she got a closer look – would endlessly make her repeat certain potions. She had to admit it was actually fun purposefully doing awful in potions. The man would be absolutely livid with her, and he couldn't stand her. So what better than have him stuck in a classroom _forced_ to teach her lessons.

What Kirsten did look forward to were her lessons with Lupin. It was odd how much she found him fascinating and vice versa. Every time she stepped foot in his office, she was met with a steaming mug of hot chocolate – something he figured out after their first extra lesson together. He seemed to be genuinely interested in her as well. He would ask her questions about herself and she was surprised to find herself telling him. Lupin would continue with a small lecture then proceed with casting spells. Afterwards, Kirsten would stay behind and they would chat some more. They weren't torturous and awkward lessons; something Kirsten appreciated.

One thing that put her off with the man was the way he looked at her one evening. She guessed he didn't want her to catch him since he was flustered when she questioned him. The wistful look in his eyes made her curious though. It was like he was remembering a time. She remembered his sigh and his words as he said, "You remind me of someone. A couple of people actually."

When she asked him who, he didn't tell her even when she pestered him.

On top of everything else, Kirsten noticed that Hermione would disappear only to reappear after a second or two. And this happened on a daily basis. It was starting to annoy Kirsten, seeing as Hermione wouldn't tell her anything even after she pointed this out to the bushy haired witch.

October strolled in soon enough, bringing along the enormous amount of extra work McGonagall, Binns, and Snape assigned her for her extra lessons. At least the other teachers for extra lessons weren't as harsh on the work. Kirsten decided that the only way she would be able to finish all this amount of work would be in the library, away from Harry and Ron who were tempting her to do anything other than study.

Upon entering the library, Kirsten noticed Madam Pince staring her down. Avoiding the woman's gaze, she found an empty table and chair away from the woman's eyes. _What got shoved up her ass?_

It was several hours when Kirsten got around with finishing most of her papers. While packing up her belongings, Kirsten's eyes wandered around the shelves to see that most of the topics revolved around a specific creature. A werewolf.

Her interest piqued considerably as she looked at the word on a book thoughtfully. She remembered the horrid smelling potion Snape would brew – and even go as far as having to assist him when she would finally finish her own – during their extra lessons. A nasty smile graced his lips when he told her that the potion was Wolfsbane.

If he was a werewolf, then that would explain the vicious behavior.

Making sure the strap of her bag was secure on her shoulder, Kirsten went across the shelf and pulled out a thick volume. _Werewolf: The Life of Old Bartimius Wood_.

_This would do for a good bit of reading._

Kirsten was a lot happier when she left the library after checking out the book, away from Madam Pince's scrutinizing gaze. She didn't have any extra lessons with any of the professors this evening. Leaving her free to do whatever she wanted.

Her legs led her through the entrance hall and her eyes immediately caught sight of something near the lake. She stopped in her steps to focus on the sight and realized that it was a large black dog, that strongly resembled the one she saw before she hopped on the Knight Bus. She couldn't help her curiosity and she walked out of the castle and onto the grounds, heading right towards the animal.

The closer Kirsten got to the dog, the more and more she got this feeling that it was the dog from that night.

She stopped in her tracks as she finally realized that if it was the dog, then she was practically waltzing right towards a murderer's arms. But something else was bothering her and her mind seemed to flash back to that night. He didn't threaten her in any way. And he saved her _life_.

The bear-like dog eyes were focused on her from afar.

"Carlisle!"

Kirsten's thoughts were interrupted by the yell, which got her attention immediately. She swung her head around to see Professor McGonagall walking briskly towards her. "What are you doing out here? It's past six!"

"Is it really?" she asked, feigning an apologetic face. "I was studying out here…finishing up my extra work…guess I lost track of time."

This seemed to calm McGonagall, if only slightly. Kirsten looked passed the professor to see that the dog was no longer there. "Well, next time you are out here studying, mind the time would you, Carlisle?"

"Anything for you, Professor," she replied, smiling at the woman. The older witch shook her head at the younger one, and made sure to walk with Kirsten inside the school. "By the way…did you happen to see that dog?"

"No, Carlisle," Professor McGonagall told her. Kirsten frowned at the teacher's straight answer. She could tell McGonagall was being honest, but the woman was old. Her eyes could be failing her after all.

_But she does have cat-like sight._

"It was right beside the lake," Kirsten told her. "How could you've missed it? I thought you were like cat-woman."

"You're vision must be failing you then, Carlisle," Professor McGonagall said. "I recommend you go check Madam Pomfrey."

Kirsten blinked back in surprise at the professor's response.

"Professor, did you just…_crack a joke_?" she said, grinning at the woman. Professor McGonagall gave her a look but even the corner of her lips twitched slightly.

Several seconds passed before a sudden thought hit Kirsten.

"Professor, I was wondering whether or not you can sign my permission form for Hogsmeade?"

There was a beat of silence that passed between them until McGonagall spoke. "Carlisle, I'm afraid I cannot. No form, no visiting the village."

"That's not exactly fair. I never had a proper guardian in the first place," she replied, causing the woman's expression to soften just a bit.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle, but you can't go without a form," she said as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. She knew that conversation was closed.

With that said, Kirsten climbed into the revealed portrait hole after saying the password. She was met with the familiar shouts that have been echoed throughout the common room.

"How long have they been at it this time?" she asked the wizard, who was settled on the sofa.

"Just started," Harry replied.

"CATCH THAT CAT!" Ron yelled. One of the redheaded twins went forward and dived after the orange blur, but he fell flat on his face at the attempt. Kirsten nearly laughed at Fred's attempt of capture. The cat instead turned around and jumped in the direction of the shabby looking rat. Before Crookshanks could trample Scabbers, Ron got a hold of his pet.

"Look at him," Ron stated, holding a shaking Scabbers in his hand.

"Crookshanks doesn't understand its wrong! All cats chase rats, Ron!" Hermione said her voice shaking.

"There's something funny about that animal! It heard me say Scabbers was in my bag!" Ron said, while trying to put Scabbers back in his pocket. Kirsten caught the sight of the traumatized rat, which was shaking horribly and struggling to get out of his owner's hold.

"Oh, what rubbish! Crookshanks could smell him, Ron, how else do you think —"

"That cat has it in for Scabbers! And Scabbers was here first and now he's ill!" Ron yelled, marching up to the boys' dormitories.

Kirsten stared up at the stairs to the boys' dormitories long after Ron had gone up. Thinking about the rat cradled in the boy's hands, she frowned slightly. _Wasn't Scabbers ill before Hermione bought Crookshanks?_

Herbology proved to Kirsten what an ass Ron really was, to Hermione that is.

"How's Scabbers?" Hermione asked timidly as they performed a task with one another.

"He's hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking," Ron replied angrily, scattering the beans all over the floor.

Transfigurations was next. All four of them were waiting outside the classroom with the rest of the students, when they were distracted by one of their classmates. Kirsten had never talked much with Lavender Brown or Parvati Patil for several reasons. One of them being that they were rather judgmental in a way. And there was no way she wanted to be with them as much as she does with Harry, Ron, or Hermione, seeing as they are both obsessed with Divination. It's not to say that they disliked each other, but more of a mutual understanding. They were roommates of course.

Kirsten caught sight of Lavender crying with Parvati comforting her. Parvati explained to the class the entire ordeal with Lavender's bunny, including Trelawney's "prediction."

Apparently, Binky was killed by a fox and Lavender knew that a fox was going to kill him.

"You — you were dreading Binky being killed by a fox?" Hermione asked.

"Well, not necessarily by a _fox_," Lavender replied, looking up at Hermione with streaming eyes, "but I was _obviously_ dreading him dying, wasn't I?"

"Oh," Hermione said. She paused as her thoughts were reeling. Then —

"Was Binky an _old _rabbit?"

"N — no!" Lavender sobbed loudly. "H — he was only a baby!"

Kirsten gave her roommate a look.

"Then why the hell did you dread him dying?" Kirsten asked unsympathetically. "Seriously, I thought this was something important…"

Parvati glared at the black haired witch, who in return put her hands in front of her mocking horror.

"Well, look at it logically," Hermione said, turning to the rest of the group. "I mean, Binky didn't even die today, did he? Lavender just got the news today —" Lavender wailed loudly and Kirsten cringed at the sound. "— and she _can't_ have been dreading it, because it's come as a real shock —"

_Thank you, Hermione, for making sense._

"Don't mind Hermione, Lavender," Ron told her loudly, "she doesn't think other people's pets matter very much."

Fortunately enough for Harry and Kirsten, at that moment, before another word could be exchanged, Professor McGonagall opened the classroom door.

"Good timing, eh?" Harry muttered into Kirsten's ear. She nodded in agreement and grabbed Hermione's arm to sit with her in class; Ron seated himself on the other side of Harry, who was seated next to Kirsten.

"Can you _believe_ him?" Hermione whispered furiously to her friend.

"He's being an absolute _ass_, Hermione," Kirsten told her. She wasn't as surprised to find Hermione nodding her head. However, she was slightly taken aback when she thought she heard her friend mumble a "damn right."

Kirsten stared at Hermione, who was no longer looking at her. The black haired witch couldn't trust her ears and instead shook her head. She was sure there was no way Hermione would actually say that. The bushy haired witch would scold her on a daily basis because of her constant swearing. There was no way…

The bell rang at the end of the lesson signaling the end of Transfiguration class. Kirsten packed up her things when she heard Professor McGonagall.

"One moment, please!" she called out as the class made to leave. "As you're all in my House, you should hand Hogsmeade permission forms to me before Halloween. No form, no visiting the village, so don't forget!"

Neville's hand shot up in the air in an instant.

"Please, Professor, I — I think I've lost —"

"Your grandmother sent yours to me directly, Longbottom," Professor McGonagall interrupted before Neville could say another word. Kirsten smiled slightly at Neville. "She seemed to think it was safer. Well, that's all, you may leave."

"Ask her now," Ron hissed to Harry. Harry looked to Kirsten uncertainly.

"Give it a try, Harry," she said, nudging him in the direction of McGonagall.

"She denied yours."

"I don't have any known guardians," Kirsten told him pointedly.

"Oh, but —" Hermione began.

"Go for it, Harry," Ron said stubbornly, cutting her off. Kirsten rolled her eyes at the redhead, knowing he was pushing Harry to anger Hermione. Those four words worked on Harry and he waited for the rest of the class to disappear. From what Kirsten could see of Harry and McGonagall's discussion, it was an unsuccessful mission as Harry came back looking dejected.

* * *

Kirsten woke up to a rather brightly lit room and spotted Hermione pulling on a scarf. She buried her head back into her warm pillow but no longer felt the lull of sleep, and groaned. She lifted her head to see Hermione smiling at her.

"I was just about to wake you up."

"What's the day today?"

"Saturday," Hermione replied. Kirsten seemed to reply to this new information quite happily as she got right out of bed. As long as she didn't have to go to classes or back to Snape's room for extra lessons.

"Oh, _now_ you get up."

Kirsten got ready in a matter of minutes, pulling on a worn sweater after her daily morning routine.

The two witches both set course down the stairs to meet with Ron and Harry. A gloomy aura surrounded the two boys and Kirsten realized why. It was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. In all honesty, she didn't mind not going into Hogsmeade. It was already a treat enough that she got into Hogwarts. And she would need the extra time to catch up with her year. She wasn't one for doing work, but even she knew that she had to work on her extra lessons. _Especially_ with Potions.

She didn't think Snape would pile her with more work, since he already assigned three papers from her for next week. But low and behold, he held back on her.

"We'll bring you two loads of sweets from Honeydukes," Hermione said sympathetically as the four reached the Great Hall. Both Hermione and Ron departed with the lined up excited Hogwarts students leaving both Kirsten and Harry behind.

"Staying Potter?" Kirsten heard a familiar Slytherin voice shout from the line. "Are you afraid of passing the dementors?"

"You too, Carlisle?" Pansy Parkinson yelled from beside Malfoy. Kirsten had fallen into an all too familiar routine with the pug faced girl. It was amazing the amount of restraint she had when being around Parkinson. Especially in Potions. The girl had taken the liberty of throwing insults to Kirsten. Just waiting for her to snap and having Snape dock off more points from Gryffindor.

So instead of quipping a retort in the general direction of the Slytherins, Kirsten rolled her eyes and dragged Harry out of the Great Hall.

"They really don't want to see me angry," Kirsten muttered, looking back at the Slytherins who were all laughing. Pale grey eyes were watching her and she narrowed her eyes at the blonde, a smirk forming on his lips. Kirsten turned around and they made their way quietly up to the common room. She really didn't know who was worse. Malfoy or Parkinson.

"Harry! Harry! Hi, Harry!"

The little blond haired boy known as Colin Creevey rushed over to the two enthusiastically. A little too much in Kirsten's opinion; however, she thought that the boy was hilarious. The second year glanced at Kirsten, and shot her a smile. "Hi, Kia!" he added.

"Aren't you two going to Hogsmeade? Why not? Hey —" he looked around eagerly at his friends. "You can come sit with us, if you like!"

Kirsten didn't know about Harry, but she wasn't exactly looking forward to stay with Colin and his crew at the moment.

"Actually, we're going to the library," she told the energetic kid. Once again, she grabbed Harry and led him out of the portrait hole.

"Thanks," Harry said gratefully. She threw him a grin and waved it off. After a while of mindless walking towards the library, Kirsten stopped and stared at her friend.

"Ughh…Harry, why're you so boring!" she complained.

"Hey! I'm not the one who suggested the library," Harry replied, watching her with amusement. "Do you really want to go there?"

"Not exactly."

The pair turned around and Kirsten nearly pissed herself as she came face to face with the Filch.

"Holy shi —"

"What are you doing?" the caretaker snarled suspiciously.

"Nothing," Harry replied.

"Nothing! A likely story. Why aren't you in Hogsmeade buying stink pellets and Belch Powder and Whizzing Worms like the rest of your nasty little friends?"

Harry shrugged and Kirsten just stared at the man like he was mad.

"Well get back to your common room where you belong!" he snapped, stalking away from the two Gryffindors.

"You should've seen your face…" Harry said, laughing at his friend. Kirsten's jaw dropped at her friend's remark in a mocking manner.

"It was _not_ funny," she retorted, resuming her walk down the hall. Her eyes cast a glance down the corridor to check if the odd caretaker was still skulking around. "The man's creepy."

"Owlery?"

"Did you have to ask?"

And with that the two friends walked down the long corridor.

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump._ Kirsten groaned aloud at the sound pounding in her head. She knew what was coming next and tried to prepare herself. But she knew that wouldn't help at all as she felt the pounding fill her head. Then as soon as it came, it went. She breathed out in relief that it passed quickly – leaving a dull pain instead – and it wasn't just for the pain. She realized that the longer the sounds stayed the angrier she would get.

Kirsten breathed a sigh of relief that the sensation disappeared and the pain dulled. The black haired witch glanced in Harry's direction to see him watching her with concern.

"Are — are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. His emerald green eyes expressed

"Yeah, yeah, of course," she told him, giving him a shaky smile. However, she knew Harry could see right through her lie. Even if they haven't been with one another in two years, he's been around her for too long before. And so she decided to tell him. "I don't know what it is," she admitted, "I hear these sounds. _Heartbeats_, actually. And they're _pounding_ in my head. It _hurts_ too…like _hell_."

"That's not normal," he stated, slightly recoiling from Kirsten's glare. _Of course it's not normal_. "How often does this happen?"

Kirsten thought back to the multiple times she would find her head pounding, and nodded her head. "Loads."

Before another word could be said from the two, they heard a voice call for them from inside one of the rooms they passed. Kirsten turned around to see Professor Lupin standing there.

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher asked.

"Hogsmeade," Kirsten replied in unison with Harry. Lupin looked from Harry to Kirsten with a small smile on his face before letting out a chuckle. For a brief second, Kirsten caught the wistful look in his eyes once again.

"Ah," Lupin said. "Why don't you two come in? I've just taken delivery of a grindylow for our next lesson."

"A what?" Harry asked. The two friends exchanged a look of confusion and followed Lupin into his office. In the corner of his room, Kirsten spotted a large water tank. Inside was a sickly green creature; a grindylow.

"Water demon," Lupin answered, surveying the grindylow thoughtfully. "We shouldn't have much difficulty with him, not after the kappas. The trick is to break his grip. You notice the abnormally long fingers? Strong, but very brittle."

The grindylow buried itself in a tangle of weeds, and Kirsten moved her eyes to the professor.

"Cup of tea or hot chocolate?" Lupin asked, looking around for his kettle. "I was just thinking of making one."

"A cup of tea," Harry said awkwardly, shifting his eyes to Kirsten. Lupin's eyes traveled over to the black haired witch as well. She couldn't help but notice that his eyes would land on her every once in a while, the corners of his mouth twitching up slightly.

"Sure."

And with that the man tapped the kettle with his wand and a blast of steam suddenly issued from the spout.

"Sit down," Lupin said, taking off the lid of a dusty tin. Kirsten sat down in a chair while Harry slid into a chair next to her. "I've only got teabags, I'm afraid — but I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves?" he added, his eyes twinkling. Kirsten grinned at the man's comment.

"How did you know that?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall told me," Lupin said, passing Kirsten a mug of tea. "You're not worried, are you?" he added, passing Harry a mug of tea.

"No," Harry said. She took a sip of her tea and watched her friend mulling over something.

"Anything worrying you, Harry?"

"No," Harry replied quickly. _A little bit too quickly_. She raised an eyebrow in Harry's direction and he looked away from her. "Yes," he said suddenly, and put his cup down on Lupin's desk. "You know that day we fought the boggart?"

"Yes," Lupin said slowly. Kirsten decided to keep her mouth shut on this conversation and drank her tea.

"Why didn't you let me fight it?" Harry said abruptly. Kirsten remembered the first day of class with the boggart. Now that she thought about it, Harry never did have a go at it.

"I would have thought that was obvious, Harry," Lupin replied, sounding surprised.

"Why?"

"Well," Lupin said, frowning slightly, "I assumed that if the boggart faced you, it would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort." Kirsten stared at the professor with wide eyes. Harry and Hagrid pretty much summed it up that many people feared even saying Voldemort's name.

"Clearly, I was wrong," Lupin continued, still frowning at Harry. "But I didn't think it a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialize in the staff room. I imagined that people would panic."

"I didn't think of Voldemort," Harry confessed. "I — I remembered those dementors."

"I see," Lupin said thoughtfully. "Well, well…I'm impressed." He smiled slightly and Kirsten caught a look of surprise on Harry's face. "That suggests that what you fear most of all is — fear. Very wise, Harry."

"So you've been thinking that I believe you capable of fighting the boggart?" Lupin asked shrewdly.

"Well…yeah," Harry said. "Professor Lupin, you know the dementors — "

Knocking on the door interrupted Harry and Kirsten looked over at the closed door.

"Come in," Lupin called. The door opened at the admittance of the professor and in walked last person the person Kirsten wanted to see. A greasy cape of hair covered the potions master's face as he came in, carrying a goblet, and Kirsten mentally black haired witch slunk down in her chair and turned her face the other way in a desperate attempt for the man not to notice her.

"Ah, Severus," Lupin said. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?"

Kirsten heard Snape set down the goblet with a clank.

"I'm not blind, Carlisle," she heard Snape's voice drawl. She huffed out a breath and sidled herself up the seat, making sure her cup of tea didn't spill.

"Of course you're not, professor," she said, trying her hardest not to roll her eyes or add sarcasm. Instead she gave the man a little grin and was surprised not to see Snape's eyes glare at her. His eyes went from her, to Harry, to Lupin, and back again to her.

"I was just showing Kia and Harry my grindylow," Lupin said pleasantly, pointing at the tank.

"Fascinating," Snape said, not even glancing in the direction of the tank. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."

"Yes, yes, I will," Lupin agreed. This got Kirsten curious as to what exactly Lupin would readily accept a potion brewed by a man, who looked as if he would gladly kill him if given the chance. Her eyes landed on the goblet Snape walked in with. From what she could see of it, in her uncomfortable position, was that it was smoking faintly. She sat upright in her chair and leaned a bit to get a good look. Kirsten's jaw dropped. And it didn't go unnoticed.

All three pairs of eyes darted straight towards Kirsten as her tea cup fell from her hands onto her lap. The hot tea splattered against her jeans and sweater, and she jumped from her seat in pain; the cup was lying on the soft rug unharmed. However, the hot liquid that seeped through her clothes disappeared. Her eyes flickered up and she saw the reason why. Both professors had their wands out and pointed towards her. She noticed the nasty smirk on Snape's face. _That_ broke Kirsten from her shock.

Her eyes landed on Lupin, who watched her warily.

"Sorry, just a lost my grip," she said, settling herself down on her seat once again. The smirk on Snape's face was still there as he looked back at Lupin. It took a great deal of restraint to not slap the look off of Snape's face.

"I made an entire cauldronful," he continued. "If you need anymore."

"I should probably take some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus."

Snape's eyes reverted back to Kirsten, a glitter of malice in his eyes.

"Remember to come by office for your detention."

"Don't tell me those god awful first years are joining us," she asked. It was an odd moment indeed when Snape looked back at her with a smirk and an eyebrow raised in a what-do-you-think expression.

"Does it matter? Come by my office in ten minutes, Carlisle."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, professor," she replied. And with that, the potions master left the room, not even bothering to dock off points. "Damn it."

She could feel Harry staring at her and she shrugged her shoulders as she caught him looking. He didn't remember Snape assigning her detention in class.

"Caught me trying to stuff Mrs. Norris inside an empty classroom," Kirsten muttered, glowering at Harry as he let out a laugh.

"It seems you made a reputation for yourself," Lupin said, watching her with a smile; however, she could see the worry in his eyes. "Your name's rather popular in the staff room."

Kirsten smirked at that, but it slipped away as she saw the goblet in Lupin's hand.

"Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me," he said, his eyes once again on Kirsten. "I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex." Picking up the goblet, Lupin sniffed it. "Pity sugar makes it useless," he added, taking a sip and shuddering.

"Why —?" Harry began.

"I've been feeling a bit off-color," he interrupted. "This potion is the only thing that helps. I am very lucky to be working alongside Professor Snape; there aren't many wizards who are up to making it."

_Of course there aren't._

Professor Lupin took another sip.

"Professor Snape's very interested in the Dark Arts," Harry blurted out. Kirsten couldn't help the grin slipping onto her face. _Does he really think Snape's trying to poison him?_ She remembered the look on Snape's face as he looked at Lupin and dismissed the former thought.

"Really?" Lupin said, only looking mildly interested and took another gulp of potion.

"Some people reckon —" Harry hesitated, "some people reckon he'd do anything to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts job."

Lupin drained the goblet down and pulled a face.

"Disgusting," he concluded. "Well, Kia, Harry, I'd better get back to work. I'll see you both at the feast later."

"Right," Harry said, putting down his empty teacup. He got up from his seat and glanced at Kirsten, who was standing by the professor's desk.

"I'll be right there, Harry," she said. The bespectacled boy left the room to wait outside for the black haired witch. She watched Lupin as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Kir —"

"Don't worry, professor," she said, winking at him mischievously. "I have absolutely _no_ idea what's going on. And if you want to talk about it, I'm absolutely free for conversation.

"I do have a question though…" she said abruptly, looking at him. She had thought about this the moment she entered the room. Maybe he would know what was wrong with her_._ Lupin nodded his head for her to continue. "What does it mean when someone hears heartbeats?"

This snapped the previous thoughts of the professor away.

"You're hearing those sounds?" Lupin asked, eyes watching her in alarm.

"Yeah, but how did…" — she shook her head and realized that didn't really matter at the moment — "it comes and goes at times…been like that since I turned thirteen last year."

Lupin looked at her for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"If you want, I can help you…of course, we'll still have to do your extra lessons on top of that —"

"Yeah, that'll be great," she said, relieved. Kirsten threw the man a smile. "Thank you so much, professor."

And before he could stop her, she left his room to go serve her detention with Snape.

* * *

"There you go," Ron said. A shower of brilliantly colored sweets fell into Harry's and Kirsten's laps. "We got as much as we could carry."

Kirsten eyed her two friends to see their faces still pink from the cold wind. Though that didn't seem to bother them as she noticed that they looked as if they had the time of their lives.

Okay…maybe she did want to go now…

"Thanks," both Harry and Kirsten said to the other two Gryffindors. She picked up a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and tore it open. _Can't believe detention with Snape would make her that hungry._

"So what's Hogsmeade like?" Harry asked.

"Where did you go?" Kirsten added. Both Hermione and Ron exploded into a detailed account of each shop they went in and passed by. And by the sound of it — they went everywhere. They went to Dervish and Banges, the wizarding equipment shop, Zonko's Joke Shop, into the Three Broomsticks for foaming mugs of hot butterbeer. Kirsten could hardly keep up with Hermione and Ron as they went on.

"The post office! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all color-coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!"

"Honeydukes has got a new kind of fudge; they were giving out free samples, there's a bit in Harry's pile, Ki, look —"

"What did you two do? Did you get any work done?" Hermione asked, looking anxious. Hermione's eyes were trained on Kirsten, who looked at her with an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face.

"Nope," she replied nonchalantly. "Lupin made us a cup of tea in his office."

"And Snape came in…" Harry added, trailing off. _That _got Ron talking and Harry told them about the goblet. Kirsten was grateful that Harry left out the detail with the tea cup dropping. Ron's mouth dropped open.

"_Lupin drank it?_" he gasped. "Is he mad?"

Kirsten's eyes fell onto Hermione, who was checking her watch.

"We'd better go down, you know, the feast'll be starting in five minutes…."

The four Gryffindors tried hurrying through the portrait hole. However, they were a tad slow when Kirsten demanded that she needed to put her sweets in a safe place; claiming that the first years might try and devour them like the barbaric baboons they are. When they finally got out of the common room, they followed the crowd of students heading toward the Great Hall.

"But if he — you know" — Hermione dropped her voice, and glanced nervously around — "if he _was_ trying to — to poison Lupin — he wouldn't have done it in front of Kia and Harry."

All three pairs of eyes fell on her. Apparently, they wanted her to voice her opinion. She considered telling them about Lupin, but decided against it. It wasn't her secret to divulge.

"Well, I agree with Hermione," she said. Both Ron and Harry raised an eyebrow as if to question her why. "Not like you two get perfect scores."

Kirsten winked at Ron and Harry, who were glaring at her. Her eyes traveled to Hermione to see a small smile playing on her lips. They crossed the entrance hall and went into the Great Hall. Kirsten looked all around to see it decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers that were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling. The four of them sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"See if I let you copy off my history essay," Ron retorted, grabbing a turkey leg from a platter.

"Oh shut up," Kirsten said, grinning and taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. "I was the one that found _you_ in the corner of the common room with _my _essay."

"Yeah, well, it looked a lot like Hermione's," he said.

The amusement on Hermione's face slid off as she looked back and forth at Ron and Kirsten. Though the look Hermione was giving her would have some feel uncomfortable, it did not keep Kirsten from eating.

"Kia! Ask me for help instead of copying homework, alright?" Hermione said, and Kirsten nodded her head while downing the rest of her goblet. It magically refilled itself and she tore a piece of steak with her mouth. The bushy haired said no more to her and Kirsten knew she would hear it in the dormitories. Brown eyes then traveled to Ron. "And _Ron_. How many times have I told you that —"

Kirsten smiled as Hermione went on Ron about how wrong it was to copy off of someone else. Her grey eyes roamed the Great Hall to find dark grey eyes watching her. She smiled at the Hufflepuff and mouthed "hi" with a little wave. Cedric Diggory grinned at her from his seat and waved back. Then her eyes moved back to the Gryffindor table when Hermione decided to finish her rant.

* * *

_Ugh…why do the goblets have to magically refill?_

Kirsten Carlisle was walking back towards the Great Hall after using the bathroom. She didn't want to get up at first but when she nearly pissed her pants after a joke Fred and George made, Kirsten had to go. And unfortunately for her the bathroom wasn't as close to the Great Hall as she thought.

CLANK!

She whirled around, but saw nothing. Though an odd feeling told her she wasn't alone. She turned back around to see the mischievous face of Peeves.

"I'd run if I were you!" Peeves taunted her. "You don't know what's lurking in the dark!"

"Oh shut up," she snapped at the poltergeist, who cackled away and towards the Great Hall. _Probably trying to get into the feast. _A rustling sound was looming closer in her direction and she turned around to see a shadow slumping towards her. She backed away from where the shadow stood and ran down the corridor. Kirsten hoped that was just Peeves playing a joke on her.

The feast ended minutes after Kirsten came back from the lavatory, and the four got up to leave with the crowd.

"The dementors send their love, Potter!" Malfoy yelled through the crowd. Harry ignored him and they followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to Gryffindor Tower. But the group came to a stop as they reached the end of the corridor of the portrait, which was packed with students.

"Why isn't anyone going in?" Ron asked curiously. Kirsten stood on the tip of her toes, reaching Ron's tall height, yet couldn't see anything beyond the crowd.

"Let me through, please," she heard Percy's voice demand. The redhead came bustling importantly through the crowd. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password — excuse me, I'm Head Boy —"

However, he broke off on his little rant and the crowd grew silent. Kirsten hoped dearly that this had nothing to do with what she saw in the corridor moments before the feast ended.

"Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick," Percy said urgently.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked, coming over to Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Kirsten. The black haired witch glanced at Ron and got an idea.

"Give me a boost, would you," she told him. Wrapping an arm around his neck, Kirsten balanced herself on Ron's hands to see what was causing the hold up. Her grey eyes widened at the sight. "Oh _shit_."

The portrait was slashed.

"What's going on, Kia?" Hermione asked. Others around her gave her rather curious gazes as well. Before she could answer, Professor Dumbledore swept towards the portrait, causing all the other Gryffindors to squeeze together. Kirsten took this as an opportune moment and grabbed Hermione's arm and moved her closer to the portrait.

"Oh, my—" Hermione gasped at the sight of the slashed canvas. Kirsten didn't miss the pieces of it littering the floor. Her grey eyes flitted towards Dumbledore to see him looking at Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurrying over to him.

"We need to find her," the headmaster said. "Professor McGonagall, please go tell Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" Kirsten heard the same cackling voice she heard earlier. Peeves came floating over them looking rather delighted at the sight.

"What do you mean Peeves?" Dumbledore asked him calmly. The grin on Peeves's face faded just a bit.

"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said, adopting an oily voice that was no better than his cackle. _He sounds rather happy. _"Poor thing."

"Did she say who did it?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"Oh yes, Professorhead," Peeves said. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in you see. Carlisle over there," he said nodding in Kirsten's direction, "was walking from the bathroom during the feast and must've seen him, with the way she was running down the corridor. She heard the noises herself and he could have gotten to her too, if she hadn't thought it was a prank of mine. Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."


	11. What Does Snape Know? REVISED

**REVISED 1/6/13**

"That was Sirius Black?" Kirsten shouted incredulously, her eyes wide with shock. "Peeves, you didn't tell me to run for it, I ran for it because you were laughing. God only knows what's going to happen if you were laughing that _hard_."

Not a sound was heard throughout the hall besides Peeves obnoxious cackling. The black haired witch could feel all the eyes of the Gryffindor students and professors on her.

"So you did not encounter Sirius Black tonight, Kirsten?"

Her grey eyes connected with the blue eyes of the headmaster. There was something in the way he gazed at her that made her shift uncomfortably. The way his eyes were watching her; that look stripped away any barrier in her mind. It was as if he could actually see her in a way nobody ever had. As if he could read her mind.

"No, Professor."

The elderly man nodded his head, and Kirsten noticed the expressions on the other professors' faces.

Both McGonagall and Lupin were staring at the young witch with concern. However, when her eyes flickered over to Snape, she almost recoiled. The look that flashed in his eyes was something she's never seen. It was filled with a fury and contempt that she had never seen before. And his black eyes were staring directly at her.

"Thank you, Kirsten," Professor Dumbledore said, before looking up at the corridor filled with students. "Everyone head to the Great Hall. Prefects lead the way. Professor McGonagall will be with you in a moment. Professor Lupin if you would come with me to wake up Professors Flitwick and Sprout."

Kirsten snuck another glance at Snape to see his glaring eyes fixated upon Lupin.

"Come on, Kia," Hermione whispered softly. But Kirsten just shook her head as she waited until the other students were out of earshot.

"Professor," she said quietly, garnering his attention as well as the other teachers'. "I— I saw him…the night I ran away…"

"I— I didn't notice who he was…it was dark — and Madame hadn't told us much about him…" she rambled on, not looking anyone in the eyes, "and when I was running…I almost got hit by a car…"

Kirsten stopped. She hadn't meant to tell them this much. She hadn't really meant to tell them anything at all. But the man had traveled all the way to Hogwarts. He slashed the portrait of the Fat Lady, when she denied him entrance. All to get into Gryffindor tower. To get at Harry like everyone has been claiming? Then why not go to the Great Hall. Surely he didn't miss the endless chatter coming from there.

"Kirsten?"

Her name brought her back from her thoughts. Her eyes flickered up to the headmaster's blue eyes. He wasn't looking at her as if she were insane like she thought he would. Her rambling would usually make people conclude that she truly was crazy. But she hadn't rambled in years so she couldn't exactly remember.

"Professor, Sirius Black saved my life that night," she stated. Kirsten could hear the gasps this brought from McGonagall and Hermione. She didn't dare look in anybody's eyes except for Dumbledore, who was looking at her rather intently. It was as if he were thinking something along the same lines as her. That it was such an odd behavior coming from a man who just escaped a high security cell in Azkaban.

"Do you mind telling me what else happened?" he asked calmly. She nodded her head.

"We sat down…and talked," Kirsten told them. She could feel multiple pairs of eyes look at her quizzically. "Of course, I was thinking whether to run at the time….the man looked a bloody sight."

"I told him how I — I threw a girl across the room and into a wall during a fight…and well, he asked if I was eleven. Corrected him…told him I was thirteen. Then I — I asked him what his name was…wouldn't tell me of course. But I got him to talk….said something about a wife and a kid," she said quickly, shrugging her shoulders. "Somehow that's when the Knight Bus popped up. Before that though, the man went completely mental after I told him my name."

She looked at Dumbledore to see him nodding his head, thinking for a second.

_There's no way I'm not in trouble…_

"Thank you, Kirsten for your honesty," Dumbledore said, giving her a kind smile. "It is no small feat admitting what had happened. I am guessing that is all?"

Kirsten couldn't do anything at the moment but slowly nod her head. She couldn't believe it. A man, who she had not even known, trusted her. _Her._ Kirsten Carlisle. The "most insufferable brat" her teachers would say at her old school.

She never had anything against the man, but always thought what was so spectacular about him. The first person Fudge contacted her when she was in the Leaky Cauldron had been Dumbledore. When she first met Hagrid, he had talked about Dumbledore with the utmost respect. Harry had described him as an incredible man. Hermione had told her he was a very intelligent man. Ron had told her he was bloody brilliant. Now she knew why.

She looked back in the direction of the professors to see that Snape had vanished sometime during her rambling, and was beyond relieved. It was just Lupin and McGonagall and she cautiously avoided any eye contact.

"Come on, Kia," Hermione said quietly. Kirsten's eyes traveled over to her three friends. Ron's mouth was open wide as he stared dumbfounded at his friend. Behind his glasses, Harry's eyes were wide. And Hermione had a quite horrified look on her face.

This is partly the reason why she never told them.

The four friends caught up with the other Gryffindors in the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall trailing behind them. Neither one of them said a word to one another, knowing that McGonagall would hear.

"Kirsten…you don't look too good," Ron said, snapping the black haired witch from her reverie. Her eyes scanned the Great Hall to see that, in the matter of minutes while they waited in the Hall, they were surrounded by Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin students.

She gave the redhead a small smile. "Just a bit shaken up, other than that I'm fine."

Both Harry and Hermione were going to open their mouths but were interrupted by Dumbledore's appearance.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," the headmaster's voice carried through the Hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who looked immensely proud of himself. "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Professor Dumbledore made his way out the door but paused. "Oh, yes, you'll be needing…" and with a casual flick of his wand, the long tables flew towards the edges of the hall. With another wave, the floor was suddenly covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," he said; his eyes flickered to Kirsten at the last second. The headmaster turned to leave, with the other professors at his side.

The Hall immediately began to buzz with excitement. Words were flying out of the other students mouths as if they were the reporters to some gossip magazine. In a matter of minutes, the entire school was informed of what happened.

"Yeah, Carlisle was in the same corridor as Sirius Black!"

"Lucky she escaped, huh?"

Kirsten felt the gazes of several students as they kept on talking about her.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" Percy shouted. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

"C'mon," Ron said to Hermione, Harry, and Kirsten. She grabbed her sleeping bag and dragged it towards a corner and began to straighten it.

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously.

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," Ron replied.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," Hermione said as the four friends climbed into their sleeping bags. Kirsten propped her head on her elbow as she looked at the bushy haired witch. "The one night we weren't in the tower…."

"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," Ron said. "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."

Hermione shuddered at Ron's blunt response.

"I…I don't think he's lost track of time," Kirsten spoke up. She could feel the three pairs of eyes watching her intently. "Like Ron said…he would've come bursting through here. And he would've definitely come through here since the voices carry throughout the corridors. That is _if_ he's after Harry…"

"If? What do you men _if_?" Ron asked quietly. "He's definitely after Harry. He's in league with You-Know-Who! And now that he knows about _you_…"

"That's why she said _if_, Ron," Hermione whispered. Her brown eyes carried over to Kirsten's grey ones and she nodded her head.

"I'm not saying he's not after me or Harry…just think it's odd that he would go into Gryffindor Tower… I mean, of course, he could've been waiting to kill Harry," she said quietly, causing Hermione's eyes to widen. Ron nodded in agreement with her and Harry's green eyes were watching her. "It was just odd that night…don't get me wrong. The man looked scary as hell too. But it's odd that he didn't try to kill me."

A silence carried over the group of four as they looked at one another.

"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," Kirsten heard a Ravenclaw girl say a few feet away. "Just out of thin air, you know."

"Disguised himself, probably," a Hufflepuff fifth year said.

"He could have flown in," Dean Thomas suggested.

"Honestly, am I the only person who's ever bothered to red Hogwarts, A History?" Hermione said crossly. Kirsten grinned at the bushy haired witch.

"Probably," Ron said. "Why?"

"Because the castle's protected by more than walls, you know," Hermione said. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages; they'll have them covered…."

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted, interrupting Hermione. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles went out at once and the only light Kirsten could see was coming from the ghosts and the star scattered sky on the enchanted ceiling. There was no way she could sleep now. And she doubted that her classmates were going to fall asleep as well. She could hear their restless murmurs echoing through the Hall. Who could when Sirius Black tried to get into Gryffindor tower?

"Kia…you all right?"

The whisper came from her left and she turned her head to see Harry's emerald green eyes staring at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured Harry, careful to keep quiet. She could hear Percy scolding someone at the other end of the Hall. "Didn't realize how exciting my first year would be."

She could see the corner of Harry's lips twitch up into a smile.

"It's exciting every year," he said quietly. Kirsten's eyes stared back up at the starry sky and she could hear Percy's voice once again, but this time closer. The sound of Harry's sleeping bag shuffling closer towards her brought her attention back to her friend to find him several inches away from her face.

"I still find it odd that you only figured out you were a witch when you followed me into the Leaky Cauldron," Harry whispered. Kirsten couldn't help but nod her head in agreement. She realized what Harry was trying to do. Distract her from thinking about Sirius Black. And she was grateful.

"I know…Professor McGonagall told me that the Ministry's still investigating, but they can't find anything," she told him quietly. "I mean…I had the _Trace_, Harry. They were still able to track me. I think it's someone in the ministry."

"That's what I'm thinking," he agreed. "But why would someone want to hide you?"

"Maybe he or she wanted to hide me from Sirius Black… but the Ministry was dead and if the person was actually on my side, then they wouldn't hide me from magic… or put me in an orphanage…."

"But if they didn't like you, wouldn't they have killed you?"

_Well, I did almost die_.

The memory that was resurfacing was anything but pleasant. And Kirsten had half a mind to get up and want to Kirsten tried to block out the memory that was trying to resurface. She had never told anyone about it, and wasn't planning too.

"I don't know, Harry…" she said. The doors opening caught her attention, and she saw the dark silhouette of Professor McGonagall striding towards Percy. The Transfigurations professor asked the Head Boy if everyone was okay and if all were quiet.

Hours of silence passed and the four friends were wide awake. The doors opened once again, as it did every hour. Kirsten quickly pretended to be asleep, adjusting her head to face Harry as Percy stood closely next to them.

"Any sign of him, Professor?" Percy asked in a whisper.

"No. All well here?" she heard Dumbledore's quiet voice.

"Everything under control, sir."

"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow."

"And the Fat Lady?"

"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without a password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore."

The door of the Hall creaked open again and Kirsten heard more footsteps.

"Headmaster?"

It was Snape.

"The whole third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either."

"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"

"All searched…"

"Very well, Severus. I didn't expect Black to linger."

"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" Snape asked.

"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next."

Kirsten's eyes snapped open and she was met with the sight of Harry cracking his eyes open as well.

"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before — ah — the start of term?" Snape asked.

"I do, Severus," Dumbledore said, his tone held a warning in his voice.

"It seems — almost impossible — that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed —"

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," Dumbledore stated, his tone clear to that the subject was over. Kirsten's brow knitted at this. Thoughts of the Trace vanished from her mind and instead numerous thoughts of what was happening bombarded her mind.

"I must go down to the dementors," Dumbledore spoke up again. "I said I would inform them when our search was complete."

"Didn't they want to help, sir?" Percy asked.

"Oh yes," Dumbledore said his voice cold. "But I'm afraid no dementors will cross the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster."

And with those last words, Dumbledore left the hall along with Snape.

Kirsten couldn't help but lift her head to look at Ron, Hermione, and Harry.

"What was all that about?" Ron mouthed. Before Kirsten could shrug, she heard a set of footsteps.

"Kirsten! What are you doing? You're supposed to be asleep!"

_Shit._


	12. Detention With Snape, Again REVISED

**REVISED 1/6/13.**

Kirsten Carlisle strolled down the corridor towards Professor Lupin's room after dinner one evening for detention. Lupin practically saved her ass from having it with McGonagall again, after she was late to the woman's class. As Kirsten walked into the room, she immediately backed out and began to walk down the corridor once more.

"Carlisle, get back in here at once, or I will deduct points!" a voice called out from the room. She internally swore.

The grey eyed witch reluctantly walked back inside the room and looked in the direction of the greasy haired man glaring right at her.

"Why are you here?" she asked, leaning on one leg.

"Lupin is not feeling well, Carlisle, now come here," Snape ordered. Kirsten mentally cursed at herself, remembering it was the full moon.

"Umm… I think Professor McGonagall wanted me to serve detention with her," she told the potions master, trying to back out of the door once again.

"Nice try, Carlisle. Now sit down," Snape commanded. The grey eyed witch begrudgingly came back in the room. Snape's tall figure stood in front of her, blocking her from viewing anything else.

"Now it appears to be that he did not leave any note for the detention he wants done so I suppose that you will be coming down to my classroom," he said, striding past Kirsten. The professor and student made their way down to the dungeons and inside his classroom.

Kirsten was grateful the man returned to his usual menacing and loathing glares whenever she was around. She remembered the furious rage in his eyes the night Black tried to break into Gryffindor Tower. She wondered what caused Snape to react that way, but shook her head. Kirsten was curious, but not that curious. Especially when she happened to be serving detention under Snape.

"Carlisle, I want you to scrub all the cauldrons, without magic," he told Kirsten, waving his hand over in one direction. Kirsten's eyes followed the direction he was pointing at only to see a stack of cauldrons looking dirtier than ever. _What was that spell Hermione told me about…Scourgify? _

"Give me your wand."

"I don't have it with me," Kirsten told him, hoping he wouldn't see through her lie.

"Don't lie to me, Carlisle, or I will make you serve a week's worth of detention." Kirsten sighed and dug through her robe pocket and pulled it out. Handing her ticket to a fast freedom, Kirsten eyed the dirty cauldrons once again before watching Snape pocket her wand. The potions master waved his own wand, producing a bucket of soapy water and a sponge before heading over to his desk to grade a stack of ungraded essays. _And half of those are probably mine._

The grey eyed witch groaned loudly as she walked towards the cauldrons. _Probably told his class to leave their cauldrons dirtier than usual. _Kirsten grabbed a hold of the sponge and began to scrub the cauldrons, accustomed to this sort of punishment courtesy of Blake Orphanage. After mindlessly scrubbing more than half the cauldrons, Kirsten looked up as footsteps came from the corridors.

A platinum blond head of hair walked through the door, the white sling still on his arm.

"Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall told me she wanted to talk with you," the Slytherin said. The Slytherin Head of House nodded his head before looking at Kirsten.

"Very, well. Carlisle, if you even think about leaving this room till those cauldrons are clean, then you will be spending a week of detention with me," Snape said. His attention was back at Malfoy in a second. "Draco, watch Miss Carlisle." He left the room; his robes billowing behind him.

"So Carlisle, how long have you been in here scrubbing these cauldrons? Of course that one over there is Montague's, nasty isn't it?" Malfoy drawled pointing to the nastiest, dirtiest and last cauldron. _What did Snape make them brew?_

Kirsten didn't bother to look at Malfoy and instead, grabbed Montague's cauldron and began scrubbing.

"So you saw Black on Halloween night. Shame he didn't get his hands on you. I wanted to see what he would have done to you and the look on Potter's face."

"And why Harry's face?" Kirsten asked, curious to know why he would think that. She could already guess, causing a smirk to grace her lips.

"He's your boyfriend isn't he? Always did think it was that Weasley girl, though I guess he doesn't want anybody as poor as her," Malfoy said. Kirsten stopped scrubbing her cauldron.

"All you can come up with is to insult people's wealth?" Kirsten said, glaring at him. "I hope you know I'm worse off in that department than anyone at this school. Seriously, come up with new ones."

"Touched a spot, haven't I, Carlisle? Friends with the whole lot of them aren't you?" the blond sneered. Kirsten continued scrubbing her cauldron, after throwing a heated glare at Malfoy.

"Of course, I mean you haven't been as welcoming," she said. "And why do you care who I'm around?"

"It does matter who you hang around with Carlisle," Malfoy stated matter-of-factly. She raised an eyebrow at the blond standing before her. Part of her felt sorry for the boy, only to say that he was most likely raised this way. However, Kirsten deemed him responsible for his own actions. He didn't necessarily have to follow his family values. Hell, with everything Kirsten's been through, she didn't come up as some orphaned murdering psychopath.

"Really? And who told you that?" she asked, putting down the clean cauldron and looking up at him.

"My father," he retorted.

"Well, then your father is a complete ass," she snapped, narrowing her eyes at him. Kirsten watched Malfoy's eyes narrow at her words, and she didn't miss his hands flying towards his robe to retrieve his wand. In a matter of seconds, the tip of his wand was in front of her face.

"_Furnuncular!"_

Kirsten's eyes took in the tip of the wand vibrating and the light blue light forming. Before the light could even hit her, a rush of adrenaline kicked in Kirsten allowing her to move fluidly to the side; a light blue jet of light streaking passed where the grey eyed witch just sat. Her grey eyes were wide as she glanced up at Malfoy whose mouth was open as well. She could feel her heart beating uncontrollably in her chest.

_What. Was. That?_

"Carlisle! Malfoy! What is going on?"

Kirsten looked past the Slytherin to see Snape standing at the doorway with Professor McGonagall beside him.

"Carlisle insulted my father, and almost jinxed me," Malfoy said quickly, looking at Snape.

"That's complete bullshit," Kirsten said, staring back at the spot where Malfoy's hex hit and where she previously sat. "He actually tried to jinx me. He just failed at it."

"Carlisle! I will not tolerate profane language," Snape snapped coldly at the girl. The professor's black eyes were darting between Kirsten and Malfoy.

"Carlisle, what is going on here?" Professor McGonagall asked the Gryffindor.

"Malfoy was taunting me and when he realized he wasn't getting a reaction. He tried to jinx me," Kirsten told her Head of House, who then looked at Malfoy.

"Well, I guess Mister Malfoy, you will be joining me for detention tomorrow night," Professor McGonagall said.

"She insulted my father," Malfoy said, thinking it a good enough excuse for his actions.

"No excuses Mister Malfoy, my classroom tomorrow before dinner at six," Professor McGonagall said sternly. The woman's eyes then glanced in Kirsten's direction and the pile of cauldrons.

"Well, I guess Severus, that Miss Carlisle served her detention. I'll drop her off at Gryffindor Tower," she said, walking towards the door. Kirsten mentally did a happy dance as she lifted herself off the ground. She made her way over to Snape and stuck out her wand. Her grey eyes met his black eyes glaring at her through his greasy hair. As much contempt he held in his eyes for Kirsten, he handed her wand back to her.

Kirsten and McGonagall made their way down towards the Gryffindor common room.

"So, professor…next time, can I have detention with you?"

Professor McGonagall glimpsed down at the girl next to her as they walked down the corridor. She raised an eyebrow at the girl's question.

"And you're planning on having more detention?"

"Veritaserum," Kirsten said to the portrait of Sir Cadogan, who swung the open for her to enter.

"Well, when I have brilliant professors such as Snape and yourself," Kirsten said, smiling up at the woman, "there's no denying detention."

Before McGonagall could say another word to Kirsten, she ducked under the passage to enter the common room.

If only Kirsten had turned around, she would have witnessed the strict Transfigurations teacher smiling at her.

* * *

It was the next morning after breakfast when two redheaded twins wrapped their arms around Kirsten Carlisle's waist.

"Hey there Kia," Fred said.

"We haven't spoken to you in a while," George said, causing Kirsten to grin.

"I was just talking to you two at breakfast," she reminded them.

"Yes, but we've come to bring you the best of news," Fred told her, and she raised an eyebrow.

"And what would that be?"

"Dunno. Professor McGonagall wants to talk to you, but she didn't look _that_ mad when she told us before we left from the hall," George reassured her. The twins left Kirsten standing in the corridor with Hermione.

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you later, then," she told Hermione. "Save me a seat, will you?"

She made her way through the corridors to McGonagall's classroom to see a class of fifth Hufflepuffs and Slytherins.

"Now I would like all of you to read chapter six, and when you're done, Diggory will pass out the chinchillas," Professor McGonagall instructed. She noticed Kirsten leaning against the doorframe and nodded for her to come in.

"I have been thinking since last night, Carlisle," Professor McGonagall said, "if you would want to join Lee Jordan to commentate the Quidditch matches from now on?"

The third year eyed the woman carefully. Obviously the woman

"Only to add joy to the hearts of others," the grey eyed witch replied automatically with a smile. "Who doesn't want to hear my lovely voice?"

McGonagall sighed before her and shook her head at Kirsten. The third year's eyes scoured the room until they connected with another pair of grey eyes. Cedric smiled at her from his seat and Kirsten returned the sincere gesture.

"Yes, and maybe you can help me handle Jordan," she heard McGonagall add. Kirsten turned to look at McGonagall.

"I look forward to it, Professor."

* * *

The third year walked along the corridor to her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, with her excused note in hand. Just as she grasped the handle of the classroom door, her eyes spotted a jet black haired wizard running in a hurry from the opposite direction.

"And what's your excuse for not being in class?" she asked humorously.

"Wood," Harry replied. Kirsten nodded her head in understanding. Oliver has been stopping Harry every time he would see Harry to give him advice. She pulled the door open for them both and the two walked in at the same time.

"Sorry, I'm late Professor Lupin, I—"

Harry stopped midsentence and Kirsten groaned aloud.

"You've got to be kidding," she grumbled, frowning at Snape.

"I'm not ecstatic to see you either, Carlisle. This class started ten minutes ago. So I think ten points—"

"To Gryffindor for having an excused note," Kirsten interrupted Snape, waving the note Professor McGonagall gave her. He strode up to her and read the small bit of parchment. His eyes focused down at the witch, narrowing as usual.

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor for interrupting me while taking house points, Carlisle. Now, Potter I don't see your name on here, so that'll mean another ten points from Gryffindor. Both of you, sit down," he ordered the two Gryffindor. Kirsten moved to sit down next to Hermione.

"Where's Professor Lupin?" Harry asked not moving.

"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," Snape said with a twisted smile. "I believe I told you to sit down?"

Harry still didn't move.

"What's wrong with him?"

Snape's black eyes glittered with malicious intent.

"Nothing life-threatening," he replied as if he wished that it was. "Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty." Harry walked slowly towards Ron, and sat next to him. Snape looked around at the rest of the class, his eyes no longer on Harry.

"As I was saying before Potter and Carlisle interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far—"

"Please, sir, we've done boggarts, Red Caps, kappas, and grindylows," Hermione said quickly, "and we're just about to start—"

"Be quiet," Snape said coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization." Kirsten made sure to keep her mouth shut. She didn't want to know how many points he would dock if she said what was on her mind.

"He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," Dean Thomas said boldly. Kirsten heard the murmur of agreement from the rest of the class, and she took a glance at Snape to see his facial expression more menacing than ever.

"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you—I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and grindylows. Today we shall discuss—" Kirsten watched him flick through the textbook to the very back.

"—werewolves," Snape says. Kirsten's grey eyes widened in Snape's direction.

_He's got to be kidding. _

She glanced at Hermione for a second before looking back at Snape.

"But, sir," Hermione said anxiously, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet; we're due to start hinkypunks—"

"Miss Granger," Snape said in a deadly calm voice, "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." Kirsten glared at Snape. He would make it the first time she would have to crack open her book in class. "_All_ of you! _Now_!"

"What an ass."

"Detention, Carlisle."


	13. Grim Defeat REVISED

**REVISED 1/7/13. **

Kirsten Carlisle's eyes snapped open as a loud thunder clap echoed throughout the girls' dormitory. The grey eyed witch rolled over in her bed to glance at her clock to see that it was only fifteen minutes past four. Her eyes lifted toward the curtain drawn window to see light streak across the sky. The dark sky was filled with dark grey clouds, heavy rain pelting against the window. Pushing her covers away, Kirsten was about to slide off her bed, but paused in her tracks as she spotted an orange blob lying at the foot of her bed.

"Hey there, Crookshanks," the young witch whispered to the cat, gently stroking the cat's ginger fur. The orange cat hopped off her bed and made his way to the door. A sigh escaped Kirsten's lips as she got up from her bed and opened the door with enough space for Crookshanks to slide through. The cat left through the cracked door, and Kirsten shut it as soon as his tail was out of sight. Not wasting another minute, Kirsten decided to get ready for the long day ahead of her. By the time she left her dormitory for the common room, it was four thirty.

She settled herself down on the rug, in front of the roaring fire in the fireplace, and curled into a ball staring at it. The loud claps of thunder piercing the night air became nothing more than a soothing song for the witch. It was odd to think that just months ago she had no idea of the Wizarding world. And now here she was, settled in front of a fire, comforted by the thought of being surrounded by others just as odd as her. Her _friends._ She never thought she would see the day where more than small handful of people actually _liked _her for who she was, no less tolerate her.

Her mind drifted to others who were in her life before she came to Hogwarts. She thought about Dan, Alec, and Aaric. A small smile made way onto her lips. They would never believe where she was now.

"You know, I reckon Ron was right about you," a voice disturbed her thoughts. "There are plenty of mice around this place—go and chase them. Go on."

Kirsten turned her head to see Crookshanks slink into her sight, and the cat nestled against her leg. Appearing after Crookshanks was Harry, a broomstick in hand.

"Hey, Kia," Harry greeted her. The witch eyed the broom in his hand warily before she smiled at her friend. He set his Nimbus Two Thousand on the rug and took a seat next to her on the floor. "What're you doing up so early?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Just not tired, you know? A bit restless actually…"

"I can see that...You're usually the last one to get up," Harry said, grinning at her. But Kirsten knew better and could see the concern in Harry's eyes.

"Excited for the game?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Kinda."

_Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. _

The sound pounded against Kirsten's skull all too suddenly. The multiple beats echoed through her ears and pounded against her temples. Shutting her eyes, Kirsten tried to take even breaths, clenching her fists tight. Not handling the severe pain, she made to grab her head with the desire to stop the pounding by pulling her hair. Her breath hitched at the abrupt halt of the heartbeats. She could feel her head against the soft rug she was sitting on. Opening her eyes, Kirsten caught sight of a pair of emerald green eyes staring down at her. An arm wrapped around Kirsten's waist, lifting her up in a sitting position once again.

"Kirsten, what just happened?" Harry asked his face serious.

"I – I'm still hearing things in my head, Harry," she told him. Memories from the first time this happened flooded her mind and she pushed herself away from Harry. This one lasted longer than the usual ones she had been having recently.

She looked up to meet Harry's eyes piercing hers and he shook his head, concerned etched on his face. "You aren't hearing voices are you?"

Kirsten gave him a small smile, remembering what he said about his second year. "I'm not being possessed or anything. I told you, it's just the heartbeats." She briefly remembered the conversation with Lupin Halloween night about his promise to help her.

"Just – we'll talk about it later," Kirsten told him sternly. Her voice was completely serious and Harry knew that was the end of that conversation. No matter how much he wanted to continue it. Instead, Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "So…guess who is commentating the match with Lee?"

"Seriously? Why didn't you tell me yesterday?" he asked, looking down at the grey eyed witch.

"Forgot to. Snape seriously pissed me off yesterday. Well, Hermione knows."

A moment of silence passed between the two friends until Harry decided to break the silence.

"The way Snape looks at you, Kia," he said, "it's the same way he looks at me."

"I've been thinking about that," she admitted. "I don't understand. I just came to this school. Maybe it's because I'm friends with you."

"No, I don't think it's that," he said, shaking his head. "I think the look is worse is mine. He docks off more points than he does for me. It's really odd actually."

"Hmm…that is weird," Kirsten mumbled, leaning her head on her friend's shoulder and letting Crookshanks into her lap.

"He tried getting into my dormitory."

"And he wanted to snuggle up with Scabbers?" she asked, grinning at the cat. The animal purred and nestled his head against her stomach. The green eyed boy couldn't help the smile on his face.

"That's one way to put it," he agreed. While petting the orange fur ball in her lap, Kirsten's eyes were glued onto the fire in front of her. Hours passed with the two friends talking until they both got up and decided to head to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Stand and fight, you mangy cur!" Sir Cadogan yelled from his portrait at the jet black haired wizard.

"Oh, shut up," Harry yawned. When the pair got to the Great Hall, Kirsten settled down in a seat across from Harry, putting all sorts of food on her plate. Minutes passed until the Gryffindor Quidditch team arrived.

"Hey, Kia," a voice said from behind the black haired witch. Turning around, Kirsten is met with the handsome face of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team captain, sitting at the Hufflepuff table. A smile broke out onto her face and she gave him a wave.

"Hey, Cedric," she greeted. "Good luck!"

"Thanks!"

Turning back around, Kirsten was met with the glares of Fred, George, and Oliver. She threw a big smile in their direction, before continuing to eat.

"What about us?" Fred asked indignantly, causing Kirsten to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh shut it, Fred," she said, rolling her eyes. Looking back at the Hufflepuff table, she added in a low voice, "You're going to win anyway."

That got her a smile from the twin.

"It's going to be a tough one," Oliver said, sitting diagonally from her. The young man didn't even grab anything to eat.

"Stop worrying, Oliver," Alicia Spinnet said soothingly, "we don't mind a bit of rain."

* * *

"A bit of rain my ass, Alicia," Kirsten muttered. The match started a sometime ago and she could care less of what came out of her mouth. Nobody could hear her anyway unless she was yelling into the microphone with Lee because of the ridiculous amount of rain pounding with the claps of thunder here and there. Large drops of water beat down heavily against the umbrella above Kirsten and Lee Jordan's head. She peered through the intense rainfall to spot Harry among the blurry figures hovering in the air.

Identifying Gryffindor Seeker in the field, Kirsten watched as the Harry froze as he came towards the middle of the field. A flash of gold zoomed through the rain and she saw canary yellow robes flash past Harry to go after the tiny golden flash. The soaking Seeker looked wildly at where the Hufflepuff Seeker went, and he sent himself spiraling after Cedric.

"Come on, Harry. Grab the damn thing," she muttered under her breath.

It was then that everything became quiet around Kirsten. The entire world around her seemed to be put on mute. Lee shouting into the megaphone next to her was now deaf to her ears, as well as the claps of thunder and the pelting rain.

Dread filled Kirsten as a cold sensation pierced Kirsten's body in a familiar fashion that she had experienced not too long ago. She shuddered as the coldness squirmed its way inside of her and spread throughout. Her eyes cast down and they immediately widened as she saw at least a hundred dementors staring up at her. Several dementors swooped up towards the box the professors, Kirsten, and Lee were occupying. One of the cloaked figures drew nearer to the grey eyed witch and she could sense something within her stir. Something she hadn't felt in a long time. Since the day she turned thirteen. _Anger._

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

The heartbeats pounded against her head. Multiple heartbeats pierced her skull. That was all she could hear. Anger pulsed through her. Kirsten had never felt this angry since that day. She wanted to rip, tear, and shred the damn creature apart. She could feel the cold, clammy hands make way to her throat. Her hand snatched out to grip the one on her neck. She could feel something rising within in her and up her throat. Kirsten could feel her grip on the dementor's hand tighten. Something pulled in her mind, away from the anger. Away from the dementor.

It was Harry. Through all the searing pain building up in her head because of the continuous heartbeats and the rage she felt, Kirsten was able to remember what happened to Harry when there was a dementor nearby. He fainted.

_And now there were at least a hundred._

A blinding flash of white diverted her attention away and she saw the dementors around her disappear as a pearl white bird flew past. Now she was able to concentrate clearly on who she was looking for even with the increasing heartbeats pounding against her skull.

_Harry._

It was odd how sharp her vision was at the moment. She was able to see past the rain and see her best friend's figure falling through the sky.

_Oh. My. God._

The pain in her head multiplied and seemed to spread through her entire body. A burning sensation sparked through her body. She felt as if her body was being torn, ripped in two, and dipped in molten lava. It felt as if her body was on _fire_.

"HARRY!"

It was at that very moment when Harry's falling body vanished in a whirling motion of flames. She didn't panic like she heard many of the people screaming around the stadium. Something told her not to panic with Harry's sudden disappearance. That he was safe and it was at that moment, the heartbeats stopped beating in her mind. The pain dulled to a throb that Kirsten was unfortunately used to, and the girl ran down the stairs of the box and towards the field. Through the rain, Kirsten could hardly spot the figure of the Gryffindor Seeker on the ground and she ran towards his motionless body. As she got closer, she slid across the mud into a kneeling position next to him, placing her head above his chest.

_He's still alive._

The rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and the Hufflepuff team landed around Harry and Kirsten, who were joined by Ron and Hermione. They all rushed around the pair, their eyes wide with horror at the sight.

"Kirsten, if you could please," the grey eyed witch heard a calm voice say behind her. Peeling her eyes off of Harry's body, Kirsten turned to meet blue eyes pierce hers. The elderly headmaster looked furious. As she moved away from Harry's body, Dumbledore waved his wand and a stretcher magically appeared underneath the Seeker, magically levitating him.

"Would you mind accompanying me to the hospital wing, Kirsten?"

Her grey eyes connected with his blue orbs and she felt the same sensation coursing through her body when their eyes locked the night Sirius Black tried to break into the common room. Nodding her head, Kirsten stood up and followed the headmaster to the castle in silence. As soon as they entered the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey furiously charged towards Harry's motionless body, muttering angrily, "Quidditch will be the death of this boy."

Dumbledore explained the incident with the nurse, whose attitude changed drastically as soon as she heard dementors in his sentence. Whipping out her wand, Madame Pomfrey muttered a spell to lift Harry off the stretcher onto one of the beds and she began checking him for any serious injuries.

"Will he be alright?" Kirsten asked, watching Harry's unconscious form. She needed to hear that he was going to be all right before she would relax.

"Yes he will, Kirsten," the elderly man replied, his eyes on the black haired witch next to him.

A sigh of relief escaped Kirsten's lips at the headmaster's confirmation and she suddenly became aware of how tired she really was. All she wanted to do at the moment was curl into a ball and sleep in her bed. Her eyelids drooped but she shook her head to keep herself awake.

"Why'd you ask me to accompany you?" she asked curiously, finally looking at the man. She had tried avoiding his gaze after she caught his furious expression and was surprised to see him smiling at her.

"Have you been hearing anything strange lately?"

"You know," Kirsten breathed out, surprised by the man's question. He nodded his head. "How?"

"I have met others with similar conditions such as yours," he replied calmly. "You saved Harry from a serious injury."

Confusion was written across Kirsten's features as she turned her head to face Harry's unconscious form. _I couldn't have done that_. A certain memory from her past pushed to the front of her mind. A memory that she tried her hardest never to recall.

But she remembered. The memories of the dark haired boy entered her mind. The words that left his mouth as well as the other children's taunting. Her body falling down towards the jagged rocks. Her body felt as if she were on fire.

And _she _disappeared.

Kirsten's heart was racing as she quickly glanced up at the headmaster. She hadn't felt this anxious in a while. Since _Patrick_.

"Nobody else saw, did they?" she whispered. A concerned expression crossed Dumbledore's face as he observed the girl before him. He could clearly see that she was suffering from anxiety. And by the slight dazed expression on her face, he surmised that she must be reliving some sort of memory. Kirsten knew that her condition was not normal among wizards. Especially after her chat with Harry in the morning. "They'll think I'm some sort of – "

"It is nothing you should worry about, Kirsten," he said. At his words, Kirsten felt an odd sort of comfort. It took some time for her to trust people, however, she didn't have to know the man for long in order to trust in his words.

"Did anybody else see…?"

"Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape," he told her. "And I'll assure you that I trust them with my life."

The grey eyed witch nodded her head and before she could utter another word, the pair heard footsteps approaching. Muddy figures trudged inside the hospital wing.

"Have a good day, Kirsten."

And with that the headmaster walked over to Madame Pomfrey.

"Kia!"

The Gryffindor turned her head to see Fred Weasley bounding up to her and throw his arms around her. His actions were soon followed by his twin. Kirsten mentally groaned as she felt fresh mud smudging onto her sweater and jeans, and pushed the two boys off of her. Her eyes swept across the room for any sign of the headmaster, but he was gone.

"You all better be quiet," she heard Madam Pomfrey threaten them. The woman strode towards Kirsten with a large chunk of chocolate. "On Professor Dumbledore's orders, dear."

Kirsten gladly accepted the offering and took a large bite after standing next to Harry. Another pair of footsteps caught the black haired witch's attention, and she glanced up at the door to see Hermione and Ron walk in the hospital wing. She threw the two a small smile before looking back at Harry.

"Lucky the ground was soft," Angelina muttered, looking at him.

"I thought he was dead for sure."

"But he didn't even break his glasses."

Everyone was whispering their thoughts to one another as they looked at the unconscious Gryffindor Seeker.

"But there was something…I thought I saw Harry disappear…." Hermione said to Ron and Kirsten. The grey eyed witch whirled around to face her friend.

"It was raining pretty damn hard, Hermione," Kirsten told the bushy haired witch. Ron nodded his head in agreement but Hermione's brow was still furrowed. It was a matter of seconds when Harry's eyes snapped open.

"Harry!" Fred said. "How're you feeling?"

Harry's eyes were locked onto Kirsten, but it was as if his mind wasn't with them; as if he was in another world. The dazed look in his eyes vanished and he was suddenly aware of his surroundings.

"What happened?" he asked, sitting up suddenly and everybody around Kirsten and Harry gasped.

"You fell off," Fred replied. "Must've been — what — fifty feet?"

"We thought you died," Alicia told him, still shaking. A small squeaky noise rang in Kirsten's ears, and she caught sight of Hermione's bloodshot eyes.

"But the match," Harry said. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?"

No one said a thing.

"We didn't—_lose_?"

"Diggory got the Snitch," George said. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square… even Wood admits it."

"Where is Wood?" Harry asked. Kirsten scanned the Quidditch team to see the captain was absent.

"Still in the showers," Fred said. "We think he's trying to drown himself."

Harry put his face against his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Fred grabbed Harry's shoulder and shook him rather roughly.

"C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before."

"There had to be one time you didn't get it," George said.

"It's not over yet," Fred continued. "We lost by a hundred points, right? So Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and Slytherin…"

"Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points," George said.

"But if they beat Ravenclaw…"

"No way, Ravenclaw is too good. But if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff…"

"It all depends on the points—a margin of hundred either way—"

Kirsten watched the green eyed wizard not utter a single word. _This is the first time he's never caught the Snitch…_

Ten minutes passed and Madame Pomfrey told the Quidditch team to leave Harry in peace, leaving Hermione, Ron, and Kirsten with him.

"Dumbledore was really angry," Hermione said in a quaking voice. "I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the field behind Kia and you were already on the ground. But there was some weird silver bird making the dementors go away. It came from the box where the teachers were sitting, before Kia or Dumbledore even raced onto the field…he was furious they'd come on the grounds. We heard him—"

"Then he magicked you onto a stretcher," Ron said. "And both he and Kia walked up to the school with you floating on it. Everyone thought you were…" Ron trailed off, but the look on Harry's face made Kirsten realize that he was not paying attention anymore.

"Did someone get my Nimbus?"

There was a pause between Ron and Hermione that caused Kirsten to look at the two. The red headed wizard and the bushy haired witch looked at each other, and then looked at Kirsten. It was obvious something happened to his broom, just by the nerves those two were expressing.

"Er—"

"What?" Harry asked, looking at Ron and Hermione.

"Well…when you fell off, it go blown away," Hermione said hesitantly.

"And?"

"And it hit—it hit—oh, Harry—it hit the Whomping Willow."

Kirsten remembered Harry telling her about the Whomping Willow and Mr. Weasley's Ford and she quickly turned to Harry to see his face turn white.

"And?" he asked.

"Well, you know the Whomping Willow," Ron continued. "It—it doesn't like being hit."

"Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around," Hermione said in a very small voice. Slowly, Hermione reached down for a bag that Kirsten didn't notice was there. A dozen bits of splintered wood and twig fell onto the bed as she turned the bag upside down.

Kirsten's jaw dropped at the sight and only one word escaped her lips.

"_Damn_."


	14. The Marauder's Map REVISED

**REVISED 1/7/13.**

The day after the Quidditch match, Kirsten decided to visit Hagrid. The giant man had sent a letter to her not that many days prior the match, however, she had no time to go; what with meeting professors for extra assignments and letters to get caught up. Reaching up to knock on the door, Kirsten could hear barking from the other side.

_There's no way _he _could be in there. _

Her brows furrowed in confusion and her body froze until Hagrid opened the door.

It wasn't the black bear like dog Kirsten had already seen twice. Instead it was a large brown boarhound that slid between Hagrid and sniffed her.

"Hello, Kia!"

"Hey, Hagrid," she said, looking away from the dog and up at the man. He led her into his home and she settled down in a large armchair. The large boarhound followed Kirsten to where she sat and she pet the black coat of fur.

"Name's Fang," Hagrid told her while making a cup of tea.

_If only I was allowed to bring a dog here._

Kirsten's eyes traveled over to Hagrid and she could see him fidgeting while making the cup. His movements were a little shaky and her eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong Hagrid?"

The giant man let out a shaky breath before he glanced at the grey eyed witch.

"It's Buckbeak…Malfoy's father, he's gettin' a trial done for Beaky. And yeh should know how scared people are of Malfoy," he said, his eyes focused on the window. Kirsten's gaze followed his and she saw the hippogriff tied in Hagrid's yard. "I'm sorry for what happened to yeh–"

"It's not a problem," Kirsten said, watching the creature. "It was Malfoy's fault anyway. The git goaded him. And there's no way that Malfoy's going to win. I'll make sure of it."

"Thank yeh, Kia. Means a lot to me and Beaky."

Kirsten just threw the man a smile and accepted the cup of tea. The conversation between the two changed over several topics during the span of an hour, Kirsten continuously swaying the topic away from Buckbeak. She intended to bring up the topic of her parents but with Hagrid upset over Buckbeak's fate, she decided to keep quiet on that matter for now.

Kirsten had stayed with Hagrid for the majority of the day, and by the time she headed back to the castle the sun was preparing to set. Hagrid was determined to make sure she got to the castle before sunset. And the conversation moments before she left resounded in her head.

"_Oh come on, Hagrid. Do I really need to head back now?"_

_A struggled look appeared on Hagrid's face. She knew Hagrid did not exactly follow the rules on curfew when it came to past years, but this year was different and she knew why. Sirius Black._

"_Kia, yeh shouldn't be out during the evening…it's not safe," Hagrid told her. "Sirius Black was able ter get into Hogwarts." _

_Kirsten completely forgot about Sirius Black while talking with Hagrid until that moment. Since the moment Kirsten learned Sirius Black was convict who escaped from Azkaban, a little thought always nagged her. What if Black was innocent? What if he was framed? Like how Voldemort framed Hagrid. It was certainly odd that Black would save her life if he truly was a mad man. He didn't threaten her life in the least. She personally didn't find him to be as dangerous as anyone says. She had talked to the man after all and survived. Then again there were witnesses that claimed he killed thirteen people. But she didn't know the exact details. _

"_Hagrid…what was Azkaban like?"_

_The giant man's beady black eyes widened slightly and he shuddered at the mention of the prison._

"_Guessin' Harry's told yeh about last term," Hagrid mumbled. "Bloody awful…never wanted to get away from a place sooner."_

_Kirsten nodded her head in understanding. "It must've been even worse to be convicted of something you've never committed."_

"_O' course! But I didn't have much proof I was innocent." Kirsten's grey eyes were on Hagrid and she nodded her head sympathetically. _

"_I'm glad that you're alright," she said, a genuine smile on her face. "Goodnight, Hagrid."_

"_Thank yeh, Kia," he said, smiling down at the girl before him. "Do yeh need me ter walk you up ter the doors?" _

"_Nope, I'll be fine."_

Kirsten couldn't help but think that Black could be in the same predicament Hagrid had been in. She also wondered why Black would go straight to Gryffindor Tower…or how he knew where to go.

The young witch toppled to the ground as she hit something and swore loudly as she looked up.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Carlisle," the black haired man drawled out. "And might I ask why you are wandering around the castle during dinner?"

She had to restrain herself from uttering another foul word. It was just her luck to run into the biggest asshole at this school. And that was saying something, considering Malfoy and Parkinson were at Hogwarts.

"I was with Hagrid," she told him, her eyes cast on the open doors of the castle. There in the distance she saw a black four legged figure skulking around. Her eyes widened at the sight. She blinked several times not trusting her eyes and found the four legged figure no longer there. She looked back at Snape with as much normalcy as possible but found he was looking out through the doors as well.

_Please don't tell me he saw him…_

Snape's black eyes snapped towards Kirsten, and she inwardly sighed in relief in her head. The expression in his eyes didn't signify anything but loathing. And she couldn't help but glare at the man who stood before her. Who did he think he was to sneer at her?

And Kirsten didn't care at that point how many detentions she would have to suffer. She was tired of being such an obedientstudent; tired of holding back her snarky comments. Being in a new setting didn't mean she had to act appropriate. She didn't care what kind of hell he'll bring her. And right now she just wanted to make him uncomfortable.

"Did you _want_ something, Professor?" she asked in a suggestive manner, raising an eyebrow. A smirk was forming on her lips as she saw the fleeting emotion of shock fill his face before a pink hue tinged his complexion. His eyes narrowed considerably and she knew he was furious.

"Detention, Carlisle."

* * *

"If Snape's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, I'm skiving off."

"I second that," Kirsten agreed with her red haired friend, and then glanced at Hermione. "Can you check and see, just in case?"

The bushy haired witch peered through the doorway and faced the three Gryffindors with a smile on her face. "It's okay!"

The four friends walked inside the classroom and Kirsten spotted Lupin looking as tired as ever. Her eyes softened as she gazed at him, and she gave him a smile as he caught her looking at him. He reciprocated the act; the exhaustion momentarily leaving his eyes. Kirsten didn't plan on telling anyone that the man was a werewolf. If it was a secret he wanted to keep, then she would help keep it a secret. And it was clear that Snape wanted the class to know his secret as well. Why else would he skip over to one of the last chapters to talk about werewolves?

The entire class burst into an explosion of complaints about Snape. The smile on Lupin's face wiped off as he heard what Snape had done.

"Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?" Lupin asked, frowning slightly.

The class broke out once again.

"Yes, but he said we were really behind—"

"—he wouldn't listen—"

"_—two rolls of parchment!_"

The last bit Kirsten heard made her chuckle and she saw Lupin smiling again, a slightly relieved look on his face.

"Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't have to do the essay."

No doubt about it, Kirsten enjoyed the rest of class and took her sweet time getting out of the room. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Kirsten were heading out the door when a voice spoke up.

"Wait a moment, Harry," Lupin called out. "I'd like a word."

* * *

November soon came to an end only to be replaced by December with two weeks till term ends. Most of her days would consist of finishing her schoolwork and attending extra lessons. It seemed as if she had no free time, and she realized that she'll have to use the holidays to write almost a dozen papers. Harry was exceptionally happy and guilty that Ron and Hermione were staying over the break.

However, she noticed Harry's positive demeanor changed slightly when he heard there was a Hogsmeade trip coming up.

On Saturday morning, Kirsten and Harry said their goodbyes to Ron and Hermione, who were wrapped up in scarves and cloaks. The two friends left and walked down a corridor. Her grey eyes glanced over at Harry and she studied her friend. The way he carried himself at the moment, the way his movements were wary with every step he took told Kirsten there was something bothering him.

"Something's bothering you, Harry," Kirsten stated. There was no need to sugar coat it and they were alone. He stayed silent as his green eyes locked with hers. The young witch frowned at the lack of conversation.

"It's the grim," he said.

"What about it?"

"I've been seeing it lately and I saw the dog at the match before I...fell," Harry admitted, sighing. His eyes no longer locked on with Kirsten's. Kirsten's eyes narrowed at this revelation.

"It's big, black, bearlike?" she asked him, and he continued to nod his head. Kirsten inhaled deeply with that, and made sure to lock eyes with her friend. "Stay away from that dog, Harry."

The serious tone of her voice caught Harry off guard. "I know I will…but why?"

She knew what he was asking about, but she didn't know how to respond. What was she supposed to say? _Harry, I think that dog is Sirius Black!_ That would possibly be the most sensible thing to say, after all the man is allegedly on the hunt for Harry. But if Harry's been seeing Black several times, wouldn't Black just murder Harry on the spot? Kirsten shook her head before she started to argue with herself about Black.

"I don't know, Harry…. I just have a weird feeling."

"Psst—Harry! Kia!"

Kirsten turned to see Fred and George peering at her and Harry from behind a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked curiously. "How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?"

"We've come to give you two a bit of festive cheer before we go," Fred said, winking at Kirsten. "Come in here…"

George grabbed Kirsten's arm and pulled her into an empty classroom, Fred maneuvering Harry in the same manner. George closed the classroom door quietly and then beamed at both Harry and Kirsten.

"Early Christmas present for you both," he said.

Fred pulled out something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. Kirsten stared at the large square of parchment with nothing written on it. The parchment appeared to be worn and used plenty of times. However, the parchment was blank.

"What's that supposed to be?" Harry asked, eyeing the parchment a bit warily. Kirsten eyed Harry with an eyebrow raised and grinned at his reaction. She was curious about this bit of parchment too.

"This, Harry, is the secret of our success," George said, patting the parchment fondly.

"It's a wrench, giving it to the two of you," Fred continued, "but we decided last night, your needs' are greater than ours."

"Anyway, we know it by heart," George told his two fellow Gryffindors. "We bequeath it to the both of you. We don't really need it anymore."

"And what do we need with a bit of old parchment?" Harry asked.

"A bit of old parchment!" Fred exclaimed, closing his eyes with a grimace as if Harry just mortally offended him. "Explain, George."

Kirsten couldn't help but be amused and curious by the twins' behavior. Fred caught her eye and grinned at her.

"Well…when we were in our first year—young, carefree, and innocent—"

Both Kirsten and Harry snorted at that remark. _Since when have these two ever been innocent? _ The young witch didn't know them for as long as Harry did, but with the amount of time she's been around them she knew, she doubted whether Fred and George had ever been _innocent._

"—well, more innocent than we are now—we got into a spot of bother with Filch."

"We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and t upset him for some reason—"

"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual—"

"—detention—"

"—disembowelment—"

"—and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked _Confiscated and Highly Dangerous_."

"Don't tell us—" Harry said, a grin making its way onto his face.

"Well, what would you've done?" Fred asked. "George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open, and grabbed—_this_."

"So Filch didn't really notice it missing, because he doesn't know how to work it, right?" Kirsten asked, looking at the two redheaded troublemakers. They both grinned at her.

"Exactly, Ki," George said.

"And you know how to work it?"

"Oh yes," Fred replied, smirking. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school."

"You're winding me up," Harry said.

"Oh, are we?" George asked, and he took out his wand.

The tip of his wand lightly touched the parchment. "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."_

Kirsten's eyes widened as she witnessed thin ink lines spreading from the tip of the wand throughout the parchment. The lines of ink crisscrossed and joined in areas all across; then words began to blossom across the top, in great curly green words that proclaimed:

THE MARAUDER'S MAP Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs  
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers  
are proud to present  
THE MARAUDER'S MAP

Kirsten's jaw dropped open in amazement as she saw little ink dots moving around and noticed that there were names labeling each dot. She bent over the map to see clearer. A labeled dot displayed Mrs. Norris prowling the second floor. Her eyes traveled through the hallways of the familiar corridors and some passages Harry, Hermione, or Ron never showed her. _That leads – _

"Right into Hogsmeade," Fred said, interrupting Kirsten's thoughts. His fingers traced the passageway with his finger. "There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four"—he pointed those out—"but we're sure we're the only ones who know about _these_. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in—completely blocked. And we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance. But this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times. And as you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crone's hump."

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," George sighed, patting the heading of the map. "We owe them so much."

"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," Fred said solemnly.

"Right," George said briskly. "Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it—"

"—or anyone can read it," Fred said warningly.

"Just tap it again and say, 'Mischief managed!' And it'll go blank."

"So, young Harry, young Kirsten," Fred said, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy. "Mind you behave yourselves."

"See you in Honeydukes," George saluted, giving the third year Gryffindors another wink.

The Weasley twins left the room, smirking in some sort of satisfied way. However, Kirsten glanced down at the map before her and realized why something was familiar about the map. Her eyes landed on one word…or rather name.

_Padfoot._


	15. Secret Passageway REVISED

**REVISED 1/8/13.**

This couldn't to be a coincidence. Of course, Black most likely attended Hogwarts but was he connected to this map held in both her and Harry's hands? He told her his name was Padfoot. How many people could come up with such an odd nickname?

_Sirius Black was one of the creators of the Marauder's Map._

Nothing could make her doubt that. And her eyes curiously gazed along the map as the gears in her mind started churning.

There was no way this map could be dangerous. Fred and George said they found it in Filch's office in their first year. Black was still in Azkaban at the time. This means Black must've created it with his friends during his years at Hogwarts.

Kirsten glanced at Harry to see him looking at her with a grin on his face. He handed her the map.

"You want to check it out?"

"It's worth a shot," she replied, deciding to tell him about it later. There was no way she could keep this from him any longer. Not when the man could possibly be after Harry.

Kirsten rolled up the map and tucked it into the sleeve of her sweater and they left the room together. Harry opened the door cautiously and checked to see if there was anyone outside. Carefully, they both edged out of the room and squeezed behind the statue of the one-eyed witch. Kirsten pulled out the map once again to see what they had to do in order to open the passageway.

Her grey eyes scanned the paper to see where they were at and her eyes widened at the name scrawled beside Harry's. Before Harry could even read anything on the map, Kirsten muttered, "Mischief Managed!"

She pulled out her wand and tapped the statue, whispering, "_Dissendium!"_

The young witch didn't notice when Harry pulled her through the passageway. Her mind was reeling at this point.

_What the hell was going on?_

There was no way…that name couldn't be right. But the map labeled everyone else with their proper names. Her mind was reeling.

This explained why nobody would tell her what her parents' names were. A certain scene played back in her mind. Mr. Weasley _did_ tell her Black was close to her mother.

"Kirsten?"

Her name brought her from her thoughts and her grey eyes connected with green ones. She realized Harry's wand was lighting the way as they traveled through the tunnel. _Oh Harry. _She was definitely going to tell him. But not while they were in the tunnel.

"Are you okay?"

She mustered a smile in his direction and nudged her shoulder against his. "Of course."

Kirsten knew Harry didn't believe her as his eyes watched her with concern. He _knew_ when she was keeping something from him.

As they went further down the tunnel, they stopped when they spotted a trapdoor. Kirsten entered first and slowly crept through a wooden staircase that lead upstairs into Honeydukes. A tinkling of a bell sounded and chattering voices filled her ears. The sound of footsteps reached her ears and Kirsten was tugged in the other direction by Harry. Kirsten shifted in a position where she could see a man shuffling through boxes in the opposite direction. She wrapped a hand around Harry's arm and darted across the room as quietly as possible. They rushed up the stairs and opened the door.

Kirsten's eyes widened in amazement as she took in her vibrant surroundings. Students milled through the stocked shelves. The shelves contained dozens of various selections of candy from Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans to Liquorice Wands. However, she could not shake off the image of her name on the Marauder's Map and who one of the creators could be. Somebody honestly had to be messing around with her. There was no _way…._ Her mind wandered aimlessly as she let Harry guide her through the rows of stocked shelves.

"Ugh, no. Harry and Kia won't want one of those, they're for vampires," Kirsten could hear Hermione's voice. Her grey eyes searched for the bushy haired witch, and she saw Ron and Hermione standing next to one another.

"You know Kia eats anything anyway. How about these?" Ron suggested, holding a jar. Kirsten took a closer look at the jar in the redhead's hand labeled _Cockroach Clusters._

"Definitely not," Harry said from beside Kirsten.

"If you bought those I'd force feed them to you," the black haired witch said, causing Ron nearly dropped the jar.

"_Harry! Kia!"_ Hermione squealed. "What are you doing here? How—how did you—?"

"Wow!" Ron said, looking impressed, "you guys learned to Apparate!"

"Not really, Ron," Kirsten replied. Her eyes cast over to Harry as if to say explain. And the bespectacled boy did just that. His voice was low while he told Hermione and Ron, and Kirsten's eyes traveled all along the row. Her awareness heightened as she realized what could possibly happen if Sirius Black really did help create the map. _He knows how to get in and out of Hogwarts_. _He knows this passageway_.

"How come Fred and George never gave it to me?" Ron said outraged. "I'm there brother!"

"But Harry and Kia aren't going to keep it!" Hermione said, as though the idea was ludicrous. "They're going to hand it in, aren't you?"

"No were not," Harry replied defiantly. Hermione's eyes narrowed and she looked over at Kirsten, who wasn't paying the slightest attention to the conversation. The black haired witch's brow furrowed, trying to piece the words of the conversation together, much like she would do with Madam DuPont.

"It's not only yours, Harry, it's also Kia's," Hermione said matter-of-factly. All three pairs of eyes looked at Kirsten. The look Hermione sent her way was one expecting her to side with her roommate, while Ron and Harry were expecting her to be on their side. With everything going on in her head, she shook her head trying to rid herself of thoughts of Sirius Black for the moment. She needed to concentrate on the present and she needed to tell them what she had found out.

"Well, Kia?"

Kirsten shrugged her shoulders in an indifferent manner.

"I just don't want to have another detention with Snape or Filch," she said. Hermione sighed at her response, and then looked at the both of them.

"I think you should turn it in though," Hermione repeated.

"Are you mad?" Ron replied. His eyes bugged out slightly in the intelligent witch's direction. "Hand in something that good?"

"If we hand it in, Harry and me are going have to say where we got it, Hermione. Filch would find out Fred and George took it," Kirsten finally spoke up. "But if I weren't part of it, I'd totally be on your side."

"But what about Sirius Black?" Hermione hissed. "He could be using one of those passages on that map to get into the castle! The teachers have got to know!"

That stopped Kirsten from speaking any more. Hermione was right. _More _than right. It's a huge percentage that the man knows the way.

"He can't be getting in through a passage," Harry said quickly. "There are seven secret tunnels on the map, right? Fred and George reckon Filch already knows about four of them. And of the other three—one of them's caved in, so no one can get through it. One of them's got the Whomping Willow planted over the entrance, so you can't get out of it. And the one me and Ki just came through—well—it's really hard to see the entrance to it down in the cellar, so unless he knew it was there…" Harry trailed off.

Before Kirsten could say something, Ron cleared his throat in a significant manner and pointed to a notice pasted on the inside of the sweetshop door. It was a notice that dementors were going to be free 'protecting' the streets of Hogsmeade during the evening. Kirsten rolled her eyes at the sign. The dementors couldn't even contain him in a secured cell.

"See?" Ron said quietly. "I'd like to see Black try and break into Honeydukes with dementors swarming all over the village. Anyway, Hermione, the Honeydukes owners would hear a break-in, wouldn't they? They live over the shop!"

"Yes, but—but—" Hermione seemed to be struggling to find another problem. "Look, Harry still shouldn't be coming into Hogsmeade; he doesn't have a signed form. If anyone finds out he'll be in trouble. And so will Kia! And it's not nightfall yet—what if Sirius Black turns up today? Now?"

"He'd have a job spotting Harry and Kia in this," Ron said, nodding his head through the mullioned windows at the thick, swirling snow. "Come on, Hermione, its Christmas. They deserve a break."

Hermione bit her lip, looking extremely worried. And she had every right to be. Kirsten wondered how they were going to take it when she told them. The sooner, the better.

"Are you going to report us?" Kirsten asked Hermione with a small grin.

"Oh—of course not—but honestly, Kia, can't you d—"

"Seen the Fizzing Whizbees, Harry?" Ron said, cutting Hermione off and grabbing Harry. Hermione sighed and looked at the witch next to her, giving her a small smile.

"I'm actually glad you showed up," Hermione told her honestly. "I really can't stand to be with Ron most of the time."

"That bad?" Kirsten asked, a smirk forming on her lips. "And I'd think you like to be _alone _with him," she joked. She saw Hermione roll her eyes. A couple of minutes passed between the two friends, when Hermione eyed her strangely.

"Are you feeling well?"

Kirsten should have known her fellow Gryffindor would ask her this. She didn't miss the quizzical glance the Hermione threw in her direction, while the four Gryffindors were talking earlier.

"There's something I have to tell you three when I get the chance," she whispered, and was pleased when Hermione didn't question what it was. As soon as Ron and Hermione paid for their sweets, the four friends left the store and carried through the onslaught of the blizzard outside.

The frosty wind nipped at Kirsten's face. Her hair followed the pattern of the wind as she pushed through the gathering snow. And that was the moment Kirsten realized something. She wasn't _cold_. Sure, she could _feel_ the cold. She could _feel_ how freezing the wind whipped around her body. Yet, the cold didn't seem to affect her. Instead, it was as if she could feel the heat radiating off her body into the surrounding area near her. _How odd…_

Kirsten followed the outline of Ron's figure into what looked to be a tiny inn that he mentioned was called the Three Broomsticks. The warmth hit her face as soon as she stepped inside. Her eyes traveled across the crowded space, and she spotted a woman with a pretty face, serving a bunch of rowdy warlocks up at the bar.

"That's Madam Rosmerta," Ron said. Kirsten didn't miss the red that tinged his already pink face. "I'll get the drinks, shall I?"

Kirsten grinned at Ron, giving him a knowing look and then winked at him. Hermione scoffed and Kirsten held her hands up in her defense. The bushy haired witch rolled her eyes and led the way to a small, vacant table between a window and a beautiful Christmas tree. As they waited for Ron, Kirsten's attention wandered throughout the inn. Faces lit with enthusiasm and joy was expressed on numerous faces of the witches and wizards occupying the inn. Kirsten found herself wishing to have a life like theirs. Carefree. Possibly with a loving family….

"_Merry Christmas!"_

Ron's voice brought her back from her thoughts and she looked to see her friends staring at her. She smiled at the redhead, seated next to Harry. Bringing the foaming mug to her lips, Kirsten was pleasantly surprised by the delicious drink.

"Kia, you said something back in Honeydukes," Hermione said, after the group of four sipped their butterbeers. Three pairs of eyes settled on her. _Might as well._

"What if I said that the Ministry has been hiding who I really am?" Kirsten said, watching her friends' faces. Ron looked puzzled with her question while Hermione narrowed her eyes in thought. Her grey eyes connected with confused green ones. "I'm an _orphan_. Never knew my parents. Then I find out that I'm a _witch_. The minister looked at me like I was a ghost. Nobody would tell me anything about my parents. And when somebody did, they said my mother was connected with Sirius Black," she let out a frustrated sigh, and buried her hand through the tangled mess of her hair. Her eyes wandered toward the window.

"What are you trying to say?" Hermione asked.

There was no way she could look at them and admit something like this, so she kept her eyes trained out at the whirl of snow outside.

"The map," she breathed out. "It showed my _real_ surname."

She heard Hermione's sharp intake of breath, and cautiously looked at the girl next to her. And with just looking at her, Kirsten knew that Hermione caught on.

"I mean, I'm thinking he's my uncle or something, you know?" she said hurriedly. "There's no way he could be my father. I mean, come on. If he was my dad, then someone should at least have the decency to tell me."

Grey eyes flew towards the two boys, who looked on with confusion. They had absolutely no clue what was going on.

"What the bloody hell –"

A sudden breeze entered the inn, and Kirsten's eyes looked past Harry. Her mouth dropped open in surprise as she saw Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Hagrid, and the Minister of Magic.

Pressure from Hermione's hand forced the black haired witch underneath the table, causing her to slam her head against the edge of the table. Her hands flew up to her head in pain.

"Fu –"

Before Kirsten could yell the foul word, Hermione's hand covered her mouth. It wasn't long before Harry joined her next to Ron and Hermione's legs, rubbing his head as well. The two Gryffindors locked eyes with a similar look of worry. If they got caught, they would surely be in trouble. Kirsten knew that she would be beyond detention if she got caught.

"_Mobiliarbus!_" Hermione whispered. From underneath the table, Kirsten saw the Christmas tree beside rise a few inches off the ground. It drifted sideways and landed with a soft thump right in front of group of Gryffindors' table, cleverly hiding them from view. _Thank you, Hermione_.

The professors and the minister ordered their drinks, and the woman, Rosmerta, brought them over in mere minutes.

"Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear," Fudge said. "Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us…."

"Well, thank you very much Minister."

The glittery turquoise heels, belonging to Rosmerta, marched away and came back a moment later.

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" Madam Rosmerta's voice asked. Kirsten could see the lower part of Fudge's thick body twist around, most likely checking for eavesdroppers.

"What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?" Fudge said in a quiet voice. Kirsten stared at the man's lower body with wide eyes. Was she this lucky that this group of witches and wizards would talk about something so confidential in public?

"I did hear a rumor," Madam Rosmerta admitted.

"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" Professor McGonagall said exasperatedly.

"Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?" Madam Rosmerta whispered.

"I'm sure of it," Fudge answered shortly.

"You know that the dementors have searched this whole village twice?" Rosmerta said a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away….It's very bad for business, Minister."

"Rosmerta, m'dear, I don't like them any more than you do," Fudge said uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution…unfortunate, but there you are….I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore—he won't let them inside the castle grounds."

_Necessary precaution my ass. _

"I should think not," Professor McGonagall said sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"

"Hear, hear!" Professor Flitwick squeaked.

"All the same," Fudge said, "they are here to protect you all from something much worse….We all know what Black's capable of…."

"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," Madam Rosmerta said. Kirsten watched the heeled woman's feet with interest as she spoke. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought…I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."

"You don't know half of it, Rosmerta," Fudge said gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known." Kirsten's eyes narrowed in the direction of the portly man.

"The worst?" Rosmerta asked her voice filled with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"

"I certainly do," Fudge said.

"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?"

"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," Professor McGonagall murmured. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"

"Naturally," Madam Rosmerta said with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them here—ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"

Kirsten's mouth dropped open in complete shock, and she heard a loud clunk next to her. Kirsten's eyes traveled to the boy next to her with a look of surprise on his face.

"Precisely," Professor McGonagall said. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course—exceptionally bright, in fact—but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers."

"I dunno," Hagrid said, chuckling. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em fer their money."

"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" Flitwick chimed in. "Inseparable!"

Kirsten couldn't believe the words coming from their mouths. _How in the hell were they best friends?_

"Of course they were," Fudge said. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."

The black haired witch didn't know whether she should laugh at the irony of it all and, instead, only settled with a small grin on her face. This was ridiculous. By glancing at the bespectacled boy next to her, she didn't know whether he would strangle her to death or not if she did. But she couldn't believe that he was Harry's godfather and she vaguely wondered if they would bring up her relation to him.

"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" Madam Rosmerta whispered.

"Worse even than that, m'dear…." Fudge said and his voice dropped. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm."

"How does that work?" Madam Rosmerta asked, sounding breathless.

"An immensely complex spell," Professor Flitwick said squeakily, "involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find—unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!"

"So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" Rosmerta whispered.

"Naturally," Professor McGonagall said. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself…and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself."

"He suspected Black?" Rosmerta gasped.

"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," Professor McGonagall said darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."

"But James Potter insisted on using Black?"

"He did," Fudge said heavily. Kirsten thought heavily on this in confusion. _But why would James insist on using Black instead of Dumbledore, if Dumbledore suspected a traitor amongst them? If they knew each other throughout Hogwarts, wouldn't James be able to tell that Black was acting suspicious? _ "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed—"

"Black betrayed them?" Rosmerta breathed in.

"He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it—"

"Filthy, stinkin', turncoat!" Hagrid said very loudly that half the bar went quiet. Professor McGonagall shushed him.

"I met him!" Hagrid growled. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James's house after they was killed! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead…an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily an' James's Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was, rambling about Ali and their baby. How Ali was dead. Mumblin' how he couldn't find their baby. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid roared, causing Kirsten to jump back a bit.

_Remind me to never get Hagrid angry._

"Hagrid, please!" Professor McGonagall said. "Keep your voice down!"

"How was I ter know he wasn' upset abou' Lily an' James? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, 'Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him—' Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an' uncle's. Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. 'I won't need it anymore,' he says.

"I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? Why wouldn' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he'd bin the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was goin' ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o' hours before the Ministry was after him.

"_But what if I'd given Harry to him, eh?_ I bet he'd've pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea. His bes' friends' son! But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to 'em anymore…."

A long silence followed Hagrid's story and Kirsten realized she was holding her breath for the majority of it.

"But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him the next day!"

"Alas, if only we had," Fudge said bitterly. "It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew—another of the Potters' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret Keeper, he went after Black himself."

"Hero-worshipped Black and Potter," Professor McGonagall said. "Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I—how I regret that now…." Kirsten listened with surprise as she heard her head of house sound as though she suddenly caught a head cold.

"There, now, Minerva," Fudge said kindly, "Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses—Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later—told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' And then he went for is wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens…."

The black haired witch under the table could hear Professor McGonagall blowing her nose. "Stupid boy…foolish boy…he was always hopeless at dueling…should have left it to the Ministry…."

"I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't've messed around with wands—I'd've ripped him limb—from—limb," Hagrid growled.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid," Fudge said sharply. "Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophe at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I—I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him…a heap of bloodstained robes and a few—a few fragments—"

Fudge stopped abruptly and five noses being blown could be heard from where Harry and Kirsten were hiding. Kirsten frowned at that. The robes would've never survived an attack like that if the rest of his body was blown apart.

The whole story seemed a little off to Kirsten but she shook her head, dismissing the thought as much as she could.

"Well, there you have it, Rosmerta," Fudge said his voice thick. "Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Pettigrew received Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother. Black's been in Azkaban ever since."

"Is it true that he's mad, Minister?"

"I wish I could say that he was," Fudge said slowly. "I certainly believe his master's defeat unhinged him for a while. The murder of Pettigrew and all those Muggles was the action of a cornered and desperate man—cruel…pointless. Yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. You know, most of the prisoners in there sit muttering to themselves in the dark; there's no sense in them…but I was shocked at how _normal_ Black seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me. It was unnerving. You'd have thought he was merely bored—asked if I'd finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword. Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the dementors seemed to be having on him—and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place you know. Dementors outside his door day and night."

Kirsten's grey eyes narrowed considerably. _What?_

Seconds passed before Rosmerta spoke up. "Wasn't his wife Alicia Stephens?"

"Yes, Lily Evan's friend," Fudge replied, his voice taking on a strange tone. "An odd woman, she was. Very intelligent though."

"She never realized when any of the young men would chase her all over Hogwarts. Never realized Black liked her either until he finally made a bold move," Flitwick spoke up, chuckling. Kirsten heard McGonagall scoff.

"He disrupted my class that day. Honestly," Professor McGonagall said, "kissing her in the middle of my lesson was not something I thought he had in mind."

Rosmerta, Hagrid, and Flitwick let out laughs, and Kirsten couldn't help but smirk as plans began formulating in her head.

"I've been hearing rumors, Minister," Rosmerta started, "that their daughter is still alive."

The five adults were quiet for a moment until Fudge sighed in response.

"It is true, m'dear," he said. "The first time I laid eyes on her, I thought she was her father."

"She looks like a mix of both, actually," Professor Flitwick piped in.

"A rather intelligent student, though she does tend to get in trouble," McGonagall stated.

"….Does she _know_?" Rosmerta asked in a low voice.

"She thinks she is just a Muggle-born –" Kirsten heard what sounded like choking, and she heard McGonagall sigh. "Hagrid, did you tell her?"

"I only told 'er that 'er parents were magical," he admitted. Grey eyes narrowed into slits as she heard this and she suddenly dreaded coming along with Harry. She should have stopped them as soon as she saw that name. She didn't want to know what could ensue. And she had a _feeling_ who this _girl_ was.

"Shouldn't she know?"

"Oh, she has every right to know who her parents are," McGonagall spoke up. Kirsten could hear the anger in the witch's voice as she spoke.

"I think not, Minerva! The girl was threatening when I first met her," Fudge said. "Imagine telling her, her true heritage. Side with her father, most likely."

"Threatenin'? Sidin' with Black? She doesn't even know her family name!" Hagrid defended the mysterious girl of discussion. "Friendlier than mos' of the people I met in me life!"

"And as much as she has a penchant for detentions, she would never –"

"You do not know her!"

There was a silence after Fudge interrupted McGonagall. Kirsten's heart was pounding rapidly within her chest. _Oh. My. God._

"She is under my care as someone under my house. Her behavior is one of a normal adolescent witch, especially one raised in a Muggle orphanage. She is an intelligent student, and I am surprised she hasn't realized her surname yet. It doesn't matter whether her name is Kirsten Carlisle or Kirsten Black, I cannot fathom the thought that she would ever commit the heinous act of murder and never will."

The grey eyes of the witch closed and she tried her hardest to calm her speeding heart. Emotions she had not felt for so long pushed forward while she tried her hardest to push them back. _Foolish_. _Stupid_. To even think Sirius Black would be her uncle. How had she not _realized _that he was her father? Especially with the way everyone would eye her?

"You know, Cornelius, if you're dining with the headmaster, we'd better head up to the castle," Professor McGonagall said coldly. Her tone of voice held an edge that she had never heard McGonagall use. The sound of scraping chairs and shuffling feet reached Kirsten's ears and the professors and the minister left.

"Harry?"

"Kia?"

Her heart was still rapidly beating in her chest. _I have to get out of here. _Crawling on all fours, Kirsten ducked out from the table and headed straight out the door. Avoiding the small groups of bundled witches and wizards, she ran further away from the shops.

"Where do you think you're going, Kirsten?"

The girl in question turned around to face green eyes staring furiously at her. Kirsten watched the boy in alarm. One thing she remembered about Harry was that she had never seen him so angry. Her eyes glanced at what the boy clutched in his right hand. _He wouldn't…_

"Off to go with your old man?" Harry yelled. Her eyes widened and then narrowed considerably as she looked at her friend.

"Are you _hearing _yourself, Harry?" she asked.

"He killed my parents!"

Kirsten didn't have much time to realize that Harry pointed his wand at her until her body was sent reeling through the air. She collided against a brick cottage and let out a painful cry as her head slammed against the home. In the next second, her body landed in the foot of snow.

Her grey eyes watered as she steadily got her feet and bit her lip from gasping out in pain. Through her foggy vision, she could spot several dark drops falling from her head and staining the clean snow. Her hand immediately reached up to touch the large gash that now grazed her forehead. She couldn't believe it. That he would actually intend to hurt her. The anger in Harry's eyes moments earlier appeared on constant repeat in her mind. She ignored the other two Gryffindors as she ran past them, not caring how much pain she was in. She didn't realize she had already made it back into the castle.

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

"Damn it," she swore, shutting her eyes closed in pain. The pounding in her head made the gash on her forehead feel like a minor paper cut. Her body leaned against the wall and she slumped down to the floor. Everything was suddenly becoming too much for her. Her mind was whirling with thoughts mixed along the beats pounding in her head. It wasn't a surprise when the rest of the young witch's form fell to the floor unconscious.


	16. A Friend REVISED

**REVISED 1/8/13.**

"Carlisle, what are you doing on the floor?"

A groan escaped Kirsten's lips as she responded, and rolled onto her back. Her hand instinctively reached up to her pounding forehead. _So it wasn't a dream. _Her head was _pounding_. She felt the cold hard floor as she rolled onto her side. Opening her eyes, she was met with a pair of black boots.

It was then that she noticed how familiar the voice sounded, and internally groaned as she looked up at a pair of onyx eyes belong to Snape.

"Hello, professor," she rasped, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. It was as if someone was having fun making her day a living hell. Finding out Sirius Black was her father, having her best friend turn his back on her, _fainting_ as an aftermath, and now _this_… Someone must really hate her.

Getting up from the floor, Kirsten steadied herself and blinked away her foggy vision.

"What wouldn't I be doing on the floor?" she replied cheekily, looking up at him. "The stone floor looked pretty damn welcoming to me."

She really did expect him to dock off points in a heartbeat or assign her detention. She didn't expect him to reach out to touch her forehead lightly. Kirsten jerked her head back in pain as stinging sensation coursed through her head. Grey eyes met black and she swore she saw something flicker in his eyes.

"I advise you to go to the infirmary, Carlisle," he said, his eyes sweeping over her body. Not even a second later, he continued walking down the hall. "Detention. My office, Wednesday."

Kirsten's eyes narrowed at the man's back and pulled a face.

_Weird._

Kirsten left the infirmary hours later with nothing more than a headache. The odd sound continued to pound as soon as she set foot in the infirmary, and stopped minutes later. She was now wandering the halls of the school, her mind a jumbled mess. She didn't want to go to Gryffindor tower. She didn't want to face them.

The witch couldn't shake the sinking sensation as she realized those that she called friends would want nothing to do with her. She knew who she really was now. Why Fudge looked at her the way he did when she walked through the door. She wouldn't have realized behind that fatherly exterior, but she had a suspicion. He had looked uneasily at her several moments the night she walked in the Leaky Cauldron.

If McGonagall, Flitwick, and Hagrid knew as well that most likely meant that the rest of the faculty knew who she really was. That would explain why Snape absolutely loathed her. Sirius Black, the best friend of James Potter. The man hated Harry's dad, according to Harry, and would rightfully hate her father. So he hated her by association.

However, the way the man reacted just hours ago. It wasn't his usual mask of loathing. His onyx eyes contained something else when his eyes met hers. She expected the man to be spiteful, especially after Sirius Black attempted to get inside Gryffindor tower. But instead Snape was acting rather _odd_. And Kirsten didn't like it one bit. She'd rather face a hateful or indifferent attitude. Something she expected from people who usually interacted with her. But since she stepped foot at this school she's faced people who didn't hold such malicious personalities with an exception of few. Ever since she found out she was a witch, she viewed things in a different light. Harry had been her friend before as children, however, she hardly saw the boy since he was in a different class than she. And they would spend most of their time running from Dudley and his gang. Now here she was at this school where she felt like she belonged. For the first time she didn't feel alone. She had friends here. People who actually cared about her…

_Not any more…_

Ron and Hermione will no doubt stay by Harry's side. And Kirsten didn't mind. They were Harry's friends first. They had been through so much together. They shared their secrets with one another. They trusted one another. They depended on one another.

And it dawned on Kirsten that she didn't truly have close friends. She was independent and only relied on herself. Throughout her thirteen years, she had always been alone. She had learned from an early age to not trust those around her. They would only turn their backs on her in the end.

But McGonagall stood up for her…and there was Hagrid as well. A ghost of a smile pulled along her lips as the tense conversation between the minister and McGonagall transpired in her head. The woman had outright defended her. The professor knew who her father was. And she didn't find her dangerous.

The girl turned a corner and walked towards the large open doors towards the library. Ignoring the stern gaze of the librarian, she eyed the enormous bookshelves around her and walked among the towering columns. Her eyes glazed over the stack of books to her right and she reached for a large and worn book. With the book in hand, Kirsten made her way to a small table hidden from view. Her eyes read the title but none of it processed in her brain.

She could feel her hands tremble while trying to turn the page.

"Kirsten?"

The voice was soft, and the girl in question raised her head. Dark grey eyes were staring back at her with concern.

"Hi, Cedric," her voice cracked and she silently cursed at herself. She couldn't let herself fall apart right now. Not in public. There was a reason she chose a back corner in the library. A reason she had walked along the more deserted corridors of the school. She didn't want to be spotted sulking and crying. But Kirsten's vision blurred as she looked up at the boy, and in the next instant his arms held her against him. She didn't know for how long she had been crying. Or how long Cedric had been holding her. Calming her. Listening to her senselessly.

She was thankful though. That someone she didn't know as well was keeping her company. Letting her lean on him. It was more than enough. And she knew from that day on, Cedric Diggory would have a special place in her life.


	17. Fawkes REVISED

**REVISED 5/12/2013. **

"Out! Get OUT of my LIBRARY!"

"Damn it, woman. I'm leaving already!"

"OUT!"

Kirsten raced out of the library as quickly as possible. She was careful to be quiet as she went down the dimly lit corridor. There was never a time she was in the mood to face Mrs. Norris or Filch. This time was no exception.

_Damn._

The third year maneuvered herself behind a towering suit of armor as she heard footsteps racing in her direction. Peeking through the hole she could see the figure of the caretaker rushing towards the library. As he turned into another hallway, Kirsten slipped her hiding spot and hurriedly made her way in the opposite direction. She could still hear the woman yelling. Making her way down the corridor, she thought about her what occurred hours ago.

A small smile made its way onto her face, remembering. It felt like forever until she was able to assure Cedric that she was fine. The look on his face when he left to go to bed was still unsure. She did breakdown crying in front of him. Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment for the first time since she could remember. She _broke down crying_ in front of him. It's been so long since she's cried in front of someone that she couldn't remember the last person who has seen her do so. She was surprised when he wanted to stay with her for as long as she needed.

He asked no questions. Something that she appreciated. He just held her as she rambled on about nothing.

Turning another corridor, the black haired witch didn't expect to hit something. _Or someone._

Her eyes were met with dark blue robes. Mentally swearing at her stupidity, she slowly looked up to see the twinkling blue eyes of the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Out of all the people to be caught by, it had to be the man in charge.

"Ah, Kirsten, what a pleasant surprise," he said calmly. This took Kirsten by surprise. She was expecting him to shout. And she was certain it was against the rules to be roaming the castle during this hour, even if it was four in the morning.

However, instead of questioning his relaxed demeanor, she threw a small smile his way and thanked God that it was not Professors McGonagall or Snape. She internally winced as the last of Madam Pince's yelling could be heard. She guessed that Filch had probably reached her.

"Hello," she said. She nodded her head in the direction she came from. "You'd think I was defacing the books."

"So I've heard," he said, amusement evident in his voice. The amusement in his tone piqued her interest. He was the headmaster of the school. He should be the one to instill the rules among the faculty. How is it that he seemed to be the most lenient? She remembered his demeanor the night Sirius Black broke into the castle. He was calm and collected. After that night, she gave him her utmost respect. He didn't ask her any redundant questions. And from what she gained back at the Three Broomsticks, McGonagall said that he practically protected her from any questioning from the Ministry. The Minister of Magic did not want her attending school. The portly man thought she was a danger. He practically wanted her locked away.

_But that never happened_.

Thanks to the man before her.

It was then that she realized that he _knows_ her. He must have known her parents. And that meant he knew about her father.

"When were you going to tell me my old man is Sirius Black, Professor?"

Kirsten expected him to look shocked, widen his eyes a bit, or at least demand how she knew. Instead, he merely smiled down at her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Would it be too much trouble if we continued this conversation in my office?" he asked. The black haired witch shook her head and with that, they started their way down the hall. After several minutes of walking in silence, the pair was met with two stone gargoyles.

"Skittles."

As the words were spoken from the Headmaster's lips, the two gargoyles hopped to the side; admitting them entrance into a winding staircase. Kirsten raised an eyebrow at the elderly man, but smiled slightly all the same.

Following him up the staircase and into his office, Kirsten could feel her mouth open in awe as she took everything in. Ancient stone objects covered the shelves with portraits cluttered on the wall. Observing the portraits, she realized these men and women were previous Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts. A swift movement caught Kirsten's eye and she turned to see a swan-sized bird; its body was covered in magnificent red and gold feathers.

Its black eyes met her grey and something held Kirsten in a state of familiarity. Large wings flapped up once and the bird carried itself in her direction. She felt a soft weight land on her shoulder.

"That is a phoenix."

As soon as she felt the bird's talons clutch her shoulder, she could hear the heartbeats sound in her head. _Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

Her head was not throbbing in pain. As more and more heartbeats began to resound in her head, she didn't even feel like she was going to combust. Instead she felt calm. More calm than she had ever felt in her thirteen years. Through the contact, Kirsten didn't feel an ounce of anger like she usually would. Instead, what she felt was a connection with this creature.

It was odd to even think but she felt as if they were _kin_ of some sort. A feathered head nestled against hers before the red and gold bird flew back to its perch.

Seconds passed until the rhythmic beats stopped, and yet, there was still no pain.

_What the hell?_

Grey eyes opened to meet Dumbledore's blue eyes.

"Professor…"

His eyes watched her intently behind his half-moon spectacles.

"I'm not human, am I?"

A small smile graced the headmaster's face and he let out a small chuckle.

"You are as human as I am, Kirsten," he told her, "however, you have abilities that differentiate you and I."

The elderly man walked pass several shelves surveying the artifacts on his shelves, but Kirsten never took her eyes off him.

"And you know these abilities."

"Quite well."

She closed her eyes as she breathed in deeply; the phoenix's head still nestled in her neck. "These sounds... I have an idea what I'm hearing... but what are they?"

Dumbledore nodded his head. "Those are heartbeats of those around you. One day you will be able to distinguish certain heartbeats from others."

So she guessed right.

"The pain it causes... it leads to... I – I try my hardest to push the dark thoughts from my mind. I feel like I might hurt someone."

"And you haven't hurt anyone, Kirsten," he told her.

"Yet," she said, reaching up to run her hands through the bird's feathers. "Professor Lupin told me he'll help me try and control it."

Dumbledore nodded his head with a small smile. "Then I expect Professor Lupin will teach you well."

Kirsten nodded and felt the light weight of the phoenix leave her shoulder. Watching the scarlet and gold bird's tail drift behind its body, she remembered why she was in the headmaster's office.

"Were you ever going to tell me he's my father?" she asked him.

"Eventually," he replied, sighing. "You needed to settle down first. Cornelius did not want you know at all ordered the any of the faculty to not relay the information to you. However, he has no authority over the faculty."

Kirsten shook her head as she stared at the wizard in front of her and inhaled deeply. She couldn't understand how she went from the life of an orphan to a witch with a father who is on the run from a magical government. If someone told her this was her future last year, she would've laughed in their face.

"So was it my dear old dad or mum who passed this condition down?" Kirsten asked, glancing down at her hands before looking up at Professor Dumbledore.

"Your mother," he answered, smiling at her. "She went through similar experiences as you are now."

"Are there more like me?"

"Yes," he told her. She could see from the loss of a twinkle in his eye that what he was going to say would not be good. "However, many of them who still alive are in hiding."

Kirsten's grey eyes narrowed. And before she could ask why, Dumbledore continued.

"Those with the same condition as you are known as the Simurgh, after the Persian version of the phoenix," he informed her. She nodded her head, processing the name in her mind. "The Simurghs have different names they go by; however, that is for another time."

"Why are they in hiding?" she asked, no longer wanting to discuss the topic of father.

"The Ministries of Magic across the world are under the impression that Simurghs are dangerous. They have yet to understand that anyone can be classified as highly dangerous given the motive," he said, and Kirsten detected the dark tone in his voice. "I assume you know who Lord Voldemort is?"

She nodded her head, thinking briefly what Voldemort would have anything to do with Simurghs. Then it hit her, and she inwardly groaned. "Please don't tell me he's a Simurgh. I really don't want to identify with another murderer."

"No need to worry," Professor Dumbledore said with a smile. "Unfortunately, many Simurghs were in league with Voldemort. He promised them freedom from the Ministry of Magic's persecution, if they were to assist him. Those who did not join him, he murdered. "

"So they helped him," Kirsten concluded. "Was my mother – ?"

"Your mother never thought about joining his side," he reassured the young witch. "She was able to rally up a group of Simurghs for our cause."

"Wait, she fought against Voldemort?"

"As Voldemort was gaining strength and threatening more lives, I decided to form a secret society against him called the Order of the Phoenix," he said. "Your mother was much too young; however, I asked her and a handful of students by the end of their Seventh Year if they would join. She was the first to give me her response."

It took Kirsten several seconds of silence to process the information. Her eyes reached the Professor's and she smiled at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said, blue eyes twinkling. "It is six forty-five and from what I can remember it is not a crime to roam the castle during this time."

She looked at him questionably, wondering how he knew she wasn't going back to the common room. Opening her mouth, Kirsten decided to close it and just smile at him. She felt a soft weight on her shoulder and felt the outline of the birds head nudge hers.

"What's his name?"

"Fawkes."

* * *

"Kia! Oh yeh don't know! Worst news –!"

After grabbing a quick bite to eat from the Great Hall, Kirsten decided she wanted to visit Hagrid. It's been months since she's been over at his place to have a conversation. And just by glancing at Hagrid, it was well overdue.

The giant man choked back a sob as large tears dropped onto his beard, and Kirsten stared on in shock. She never saw Hagrid this distraught and hoped that she never would again.

"Hagrid, are –what happened?" she asked aghast as he began to sob uncontrollably. The young witch grabbed his large arm and steered him back into his house. Guiding him toward a chair, Kirsten let go of his arm he slumped over the table and began to sob uncontrollably.

"Buckbeak—yeh—letter!" he blubbered and pointed to the table where an official-looking letter laid. Kirsten grabbed it and scanned the letter quickly.

_Dear Mr. Hagrid,_

_Further to our inquiry into the attack by a hippogriff on two students in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident._

_However, we must register our concern about the hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your hippogriff at the Committer's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated._

_Yours in fellowship…_

A list of the school governors' signatures followed the last bit of the letter which Kirsten ignored. She could care less about them. On her mind at the moment was the supposed victim in the ordeal, and she was furious. The witch looked up at Hagrid who was no longer sobbing but some tears were still rolling down his cheek into his beard.

"So they're holding Buckbeak on trial because of Malfoy?" she muttered darkly.

"They're all scared of 'im, Lucius Malfoy that is," Hagrid replied.

"But _I _got hit by Buckbeak and they don't see me complaining."

"Malfoy's speaking out," Hagrid choked out.

"Then how about I help. I'll find trials and defensive material to back Buckbeak up in the trial so he won't be convicted," Kirsten said. "Don't get upset. Buckbeak hasn't been sentenced."

"Yer right. Thank yer, Kia," he said. A light pounding sound reached her ears and she looked over to the corner in Hagrid's house to see Buckbeak chomping on something with blood oozing out. "I haven't really bin meself lately. Yer know, I think no one likes me classes—"

"Are you kidding me Hagrid," Kirsten said, cutting him off. "I really like your classes, especially the first one with Buckbeak. I honestly don't blame him for the incident. It was Malfoy's fault. But what is annoying are those flobberworms."

She could see Hagrid's beard twitching and she grinned at him.

After spending an hour with Hagrid and keeping him from crying, Kirsten left went straight to the library. She needed to gather books for the trial. As she walked through the doors, the third year didn't see Madam Pince. With hopeful eyes, she scanned the area, hoping the woman decided to retire.

Turning her head to her left, she nearly had a heart attack. There stood Madam Pince, watching her only several feet away. A figure stands in front of me and I look up to see _her_ face.

"What are you doing back here?" she sneered. The girl in question's mind was reeling to come up with a sensible lie.

"I have assignment due for several of my remedial classes. I have full permission to come in the library according to Professor Dumbledore," she said. The woman walked back to her desk, but Kirsten could still feel the Pince's eyes on her. It took her approximately two hours to find three thick books that she found would help Buckbeak's case. As she left the library, she smiled in Madam Pince's direction.

"I'm in and out, Madam, in and out."

* * *

"Kirsten?"

The witch stopped in her tracks and turned around to find Professor Lupin staring at her. He frowned slightly as he observed her face before he kindly smiled at her.

"Would you like to join me in my office?" he asked.

Kirsten watched the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor as he began to make her hot chocolate. He looked tired as usual and a bit more on edge. A thought crept up in her mind as she remembered her conversation with Dumbledore. How did he know about the sounds in her head? Unless…

"Did you know any Simurghs?"

This took the man by surprise as he almost dropped the two mugs of hot chocolate onto the floor.

"How'd you know –"

"Give me more credit than that. I mean, I actually am one," she said, smiling at the man and grabbing her hot chocolate before she settled in her seat again. "So did you?"

Lupin stared at her for quite some time. A small smile made way onto his face as he shook his head. "Your mother."

This didn't surprise the witch as she realized that her mother would be around the same age as Lupin. And she knew he went to Hogwarts since he admitted that himself. But something caught her off. If he knew her mother, then that would mean he knew about him.

"So you knew my father," she deduced.

Lupin's eyes narrowed considerably by her drawn up conclusion, and she knew he knew. _Perfect._

"You know, don't you?" he asked. She could see practically see the gears churning in his head. _So he did know __h_im... She didn't want to give anything away just yet and decided to throw a rather confused look in his direction.

"What are you talking about?"


	18. Just a Realization REVISED

**REVISED. 5/22/13.**

The man before shook his head slowly as he watched her carefully.

"Forget I asked you," he told her rather frivolously. "When was the last time you've been hearing heartbeats?"

Kirsten watched him carefully. She could tell he didn't believe her and mentally cursed herself. With the amount of time she spent around the professor, he was more than able to read her. Unfortunately, he was able to pick up whenever she was lying or hiding something from him.

"Earlier today," she told him, avoiding eye contact and frowning. "I've been hearing them almost every day now. It's driving me _mad_. I don't know how much you know … but it's like someone is constantly punching me in the head. Sometimes the pain spreads throughout my body and I can't even walk. And" – she paused, not knowing if she should admit this to him – "recently I – I just need to keep this under control, professor."

She couldn't admit it to him. What was she going to say? That she feels _bloodthirsty_ whenever the pounding was incessant. That she _wanted_ to grab ahold of the people making her suffer and rip them apart? And it wasn't helping that she was angry with Harry. She didn't want to harm him, or anyone for the matter, in any way – maybe just a punch or two – but it definitely did not help her condition. If she didn't know any better, she would say that it made her more aggressive.

Yeah, he definitely would think she's gone insane.

"What's wrong, Kirsten?"

Loose black curls fell into her eyes as she looked at him from his seat. Tucking her black hair behind her ears, she gave him a small smile and tightened her grip on her mug. The smile cleared from her face in seconds as he caught the fake smile. She could practically feel the bags under eyes dragging her down more so than usual. They have felt considerably heavy over the past few days.

"My life," she answered, not meeting his eyes. "I just need your help with this whole heartbeat shit. It hurts like hell."

She didn't mean to use that dull tone of voice, or swear, but she no longer cared. Everything seemed to drive her mad.

"Then let's get started."

* * *

It had been a week since Lupin began teaching her how to control the heartbeats. The castle was pretty much empty as she wandered the halls to the library one morning. She had been holed up in the library since the beginning of break and was able to successfully avoid Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Kirsten wasn't deliberately trying to avoid them. She spent this time trying to successfully finish up her remedial assignments, practicing spells, researching Buckbeak's case, and daily lessons with Lupin. Today she was working on something entirely different. After taking a walk around the castle several days ago, she was thinking about the conversation in the Three Broomsticks. _Something_ didn't add up to her. So many questions filled her head.

_Wouldn't James Potter be able to notice if his best friend was acting strange? Why choose somebody blatantly suspicious? If Sirius Black truly wanted to kill Harry the deed would have been done when he was a baby. Why not kill Hagrid and take Harry from him afterward? And why not escape Azkaban earlier? Why now?_

As she was turning a page in her book, she felt something tremble in her sweater pocket. Her brow furrowed into a frown. _What the hell?_

Kirsten then felt a weight she hadn't noticed, and looked down to see a lump moving. She _almost_ screamed bloody murder as a hairy something protruded from her pocket. Instead she pulled the damn thing out and threw it on the table. Upon closer inspection, she realized what it was.

"_Scabbers?"_

The rat in question didn't scurry off just yet, trembling as it looked at her. More bald patches covered his body showing even more bare skin than she's ever seen. He was shaking as he stumbled to a stand on the table. She could tell the rat was going to scurry off and grabbed ahold of him quickly.

"Now what were you doing in my pocket?" she whispered, staring at her friend's pet curiously. Her eyes narrowed at the rat and she felt the rat's skinny body squirm in her hands. "Calm down or I'll feed you to Crookshanks."

Kirsten found it odd how he became still in the next second. Almost as if he understood her. Her eyes narrowed even further at the animal. Now that she thought about it, Scabbers seemed a little too perceptive. And the last time an animal was _that _perceptive, it didn't necessarily turn out to be an animal as she remembered the night she ran away.

And it didn't help that Scabbers weirded her out with the way he would stare at her. The way it felt as if somebody was watching her.

The rodent was as still as can be in her hands. He didn't move since she threatened him. She studied his little frame. He wasn't looking any better since she first met him during the summer holiday. She frowned as she remembered that he looked sickly then too. And that was before Crookshanks came into the picture.

_So what was Ron blaming Crookshanks for?_

Upon closer inspection, she observed Scabbers and saw that he only had three _fingers_ instead of the four he had on his other front paw.

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

She could feel the sharp prod pounding against her head, and immediately let go of the rat. Instead, she clamped her hands around the edge of the table and shut her eyes tightly. Breathing in deeply, she tried everything in her to calm the anger building up inside of her like Lupin told her. To focus on the heartbeats instead of the pain it caused.

The heartbeats stopped in seconds and Kirsten breathed out a grateful sigh. Her grip on the table loosened and her eyes widened at the cracks along the wood. She almost ripped the edge of the table apart.

The hairs on the back of her neck raised and she felt the sense that someone was watching her. Her eyes wandered along the rows of bookshelves and then onto the table to find the gaze of the Scabbers. A sigh escaped her lips and she swept the rat into her hands.

The last thing she expected was for the rat to go insane. With his incessant squirming, the rodent almost escaped her death trap of a grip. Something sharp pierced her hand and she saw Scabbers teeth clamped down with blood trickling down the side of her hand. She squeezed even tighter.

"Stop," she commanded, her eyes daring the rodent to keep going. Her voice was so low that it no longer sounded like hers.

The rat stopped his squirming and removed his teeth from her hand immediately.

There was no way this rat was normal. Not at all.

* * *

"Your rat better not have any diseases."

Kirsten dumped the rodent in the red head's lap. Her grey eyes focused on Scabbers as he buried himself somewhere deep in Ron's pockets.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?"

Kirsten looked up to see Ron, Hermione, and Harry staring at her. She ignored Harry's eyes the best she could as she gave Ron the ghost of a smile. She hardly saw Ron during the week but that could be because she was avoiding Harry. Lupin told her she shouldn't be near those who would provoke anger in her.

"I've been in the library finishing some work," she told him. "Remedial potions is killing me."

"What happened to your hand?" Hermione asked. Kirsten glanced down at her hand to see the blood covering the bite Scabbers gave her.

"Scabbers decided to bite me," she told the bushy haired witch, then glanced at Ron with a small grin. "You sure he's a rat, mate?"

Ron stared at her like she was mad, his mouth openly gaping at her.

"Close your mouth, Ron. It's not a good look," Kirsten advised him, her small smile growing wider. It was funny how small interactions with Ron could put her in somewhat of a good mood. Maybe it was because of his direct attitude towards her. She was even willing to look in Harry's direction. And she did just that.

"I'll guess I'll see you guys around," she said. "Off to Madam Pomfrey."

The black haired witch exited through the portrait hole, leaving the three Gryffindors alone in the common room.

"I think she's gone mad," Ron whispered, his eyes not leaving the portrait hole.

"Oh shut up, Ron. I'm going to check on her," Hermione said, quickly standing up and hurrying after the witch.

* * *

_There's no way Scabbers is a common rat._

Thoughts about the rat flooded her mind and the grin was soon wiped off her face. It wasn't just how abnormally perceptive he was. She remembered Ron telling the witch at the apothecary how old the rat he was.

_Twelve years. _

And just how long does the average rat live to be? Approximately three to four years, according to the witch. And she was an expert on animals and their ailments. Something wasn't right.

Kirsten heard footsteps approaching from behind, breaking her from her brooding moment. She turned around to find Hermione racing to catch up with her. Her grey eyes met with Hermione's chocolate brown ones, and the bushy haired witch didn't say a word as they walked to the hospital wing.

The black haired witch didn't need to search for the woman, seeing as she was walking towards her office.

"Again? It's only been a week!" the woman exclaimed. Kirsten just smiled kindly at the woman and shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess I should move in here," she said. The woman scoffed at her cheeky retort as she grabbed the young witch's hand.

"I'm certain you'll find a way to hurt yourself either way," Madam Pomfrey told her. Kirsten smirked at the woman's reply in appreciation. She thought it was funny that the amount of adults in her life increased drastically since she found out she was a witch. There was no way Madam DuPont was as relaxed as Madam Pomfrey was with her.

The young witch frowned as she thought about the woman. The last thing Kirsten has heard about the woman and the orphanage was that officials from the Ministry of Magic questioned everyone according to the letter she received month ago. Due to her _disappearance_, the Ministry of Magic have been investigating her whereabouts.

"Now what on earth bit you?" Kirsten shook her head from her thoughts, focusing on the healer. She realized the woman led her to a bed to sit on. And that she already cleaned off the dried blood with a tap of her wand.

"Just a rat," she told her nonchalantly. The woman scurried off, possibly to find a potion Kirsten could take to ward off any possible infection.

"Why were you in the hospital wing last week?"

Kirsten's eyes landed on Hermione.

"Harry's tantrum ended with me slammed against a cottage," she told her, her lips twitching up. Hermione's eyes widened.

"Kirsten, why didn't y –"

"It's in the past. Now we're arguing in the present. And I'm not exactly happy with him now," Kirsten said, surprised herself with how calm she was. This was a boy who she never argued with during their primary school days. It had only been two years till she saw him again on the Knight Bus.

Before Hermione could say anything, Madam Pomfrey bustled toward Kirsten. The woman tended to her bite in a matter of minutes. With a stern look and a warning from the healer, Kirsten was off with Hermione by her side to the Great Hall.

"So, how's your week been?" Kirsten asked her friend. "Ron still down your throat about Crookshanks?"

"Ron's being absolutely ridiculous," Hermione muttered angrily. "I've had it with how he thinks Crookshanks is only after Scabbers."

"He is, isn't he?" Kirsten commented, raising a brow. She hasn't seen Hermione this frustrated and angry, and thought it was slightly humorous.

"And he is blaming me. Scabbers' practically our age. He should've died ages ago," she said, continuing to vent.

"Yes, the repulsive thing should've died ages ago."

"Are you just agreeing with what I'm saying?" Hermione questioned with a raised eyebrow. Kirsten returned the look, though a small smile could be found on her lips.

"I thought you wanted me to agree. And I definitely was not kidding about the repulsing part," she told Hermione. "Oh come on, keep ranting about dear old Prince Charming, it's actually entertaining."

The bushy haired witch rolled her eyes, but Kirsten swore she could see a tiny grin forming on her face.

"But Scabbers really should've been dead before now come to think of it," her voice curious. "And it's bothering me."

"So Ron isn't?"

Hermione sent her a look and Kirsten held her hands u in defense. They clearly had some issues to settle.

The two witches entered the Great Hall and sat down at the vacant Gryffindor table, due to it being Christmas break.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked.

Kirsten turned to look at Hermione and understood her question.

"I'm fine. It's a little funny now that I think about it," Kirsten told her, though no trace of a smile could be seen on her face. "That me and Harry would be such good friends… just like our parents. And I can see how Sirius is my father. I mean, look at me. Look at my eyes. I look like a female version of the man."

She wanted to take that last part back. She had no clue what he looked like before Azkaban. But she's seen him in person and in pictures. Azkaban did not do him any good. The man looked like a bloody _corpse_.

"Okay, I take that back. I only resemble him in a small amount at the moment, I'm afraid," Kirsten said. "He's not attractive in the slightest, so until he looks decent we don't look alike."

The look on Hermione's face was priceless.

**A/N: Thanks ladies and gents ;)**


	19. Christmas Lunch REVISED

**A/N: REVISED 6/15/2013**

Drowsiness washed over Kirsten, her eyes rolling back as her face sunk against her propped up arm. Before she could close her eyes, a sharp prod against her cheek woke her up instantly. Her eyes landed on a grey owl staring right back at her. Its body leaned forward to poke her again.

In. The. Exact. Same. Spot.

And it _hurt_.

She truly was going to murder someone.

Or more than likely the damn bird.

Her eyes landed on a medium sized red package tied to its leg. Reaching out for it, Kirsten curiously untied the package from the owl's leg. The grey owl flew off in the next instant, leaving only the parcel before her as company. Her eyes narrowed in confusion as she looked back at the wrapped mystery, and she noticed a note attached.

_Hey Kirsten!_

_I hope you're having a nice holiday so far. Maybe next year you could join me and my parents for the holiday. And about you asking if I know anything about Simurghs? Only a bit after I asked my dad. He was a bit curious at my question and then told me that there are none living anymore or they're all in hiding if they are. He also told me that they hold powerful magic than an average witch or wizard and it's difficult to ever beat one. Maybe I will help you out more when I return from the holidays and Professor Lupin said that my year will be studying them during this term._

_My parents will love to have you over sometime if your parents don't mind that is. How about they come over to meet my parents during the summer holiday?_

_Hope you're having a Merry Christmas!_

_Cedric_

Kirsten's lips quirked up into a smile as she finished reading the letter. They have been sending one another letters all throughout break. She remembered what she asked him in one of the letters about Simurghs. She was curious to know if he's ever heard of them himself, or anyone else. She guessed they weren't really.

Rereading the last bit of the letter, she raised an eyebrow and laughed.

The look on his parents' faces would be priceless if they ever met her father.

It was then that she looked at the package and frowned slightly. She didn't want him to get her anything. He had been hinting at it and she repeatedly warned him not too. But deep down she knew he was going to do it anyway. She wouldn't be the only one of the two getting a surprise then.

As the impatient Gryffindor tore the red wrapping paper off the box, a delicious aroma wafted up to her nose. She ripped the box open to find hoard of cookies and several pies. Her jaw dropped open and she had to keep herself from drooling. She didn't exactly have a hearty breakfast earlier. It didn't take her long to notice a little box and note set beside the delicious cookies. The witch picked up the note first.

_Cedric won't stop talking about you at all. I hear you're at Hogwarts over break. So I decided to sneak some cookies and some pies in here and wanted you to taste them. My husband and I wish you a very Merry Christmas, Kirsten!_

_Anna Diggory_

Kirsten's bit her lip smiling all the while. His mother seemed pleasant enough. Maybe she was like Ron's mom.

"Well, Merry Christ –" she stopped midway, realization suddenly dawning on her. It was _Christmas_. How could she have forgotten? Besides the fact that she just got out of bed _very _early in the morning and practically ran to the library. Hermione was just going on about how Christmas Eve was yesterday, yesterday. And how she had to eat lunch with them on Christmas. No exceptions.

Kirsten snorted at the thought. She wasn't exactly looking forward to the awkward lunch. Harry would no doubt be annoyingly quiet and prissy.

Ignoring the thought, the young witch decided to open the velvet box that was inside package with the cookies and pies. Her eyes widened considerably as they landed on a thin silver bracelet with a crystal charm on it.

Kirsten fastened the bracelet onto her left wrist and bit into a cookie, and decided to pack her things together to go back to Gryffindor Tower. Climbing through the portrait hole, Kirsten didn't see any sign of Hermione, Ron, or Harry.

Maybe they were still asleep.

She went to her dormitory to find a stack of presents resting at the end of her bed with no Hermione in sight. Her eyes traveled back to the pile on her bed and frowned at the sight.

Who the _hell_ would get her presents?

It turned out to be quite a few people. She opened the largest box to find nut brittle, apple pies, and some Christmas cake with a bundled up grey and red sweater. Unfolding the sweater, Kirsten saw the letter "K" stitched and caught sight of a note attached to the folded sweater.

_Hello Kia Dear!_

_All of us wish you a Merry Christmas! _

_Arthur and Molly Weasley_

She couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face as she remembered the woman back at the Leaky Cauldron. She was only around the woman for a maximum of two days. If the day the train departed counted as one.

She received presents from Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and surprisingly from Harry and Lupin.

A frown made its way onto Kirsten's face as she looked down at Lupin's gift.

Why would he buy her a Christmas gift?

It was a thin silver watch that had intricate carving detailed on the sides of the face, and she couldn't help the small smile that made way on her lips.

He would buy her a watch.

Kirsten would constantly claim that she was late to her lessons because she didn't know the time.

A smirk made its way on her face as she thought about Harry. She guessed he ordered Christmas gifts before they fought just like she did. After setting aside those presents in her trunk, she noticed a small gift neatly wrapped sitting on her bedside table.

Settling herself on her bed once again, Kirsten grabbed the gift from her stand and ripped open the wrapping paper. It appeared to be a book. She frowned not seeing a note attached to it. But the frown disappeared suddenly as her eyes read the golden letters etched on the leather bound book.

_A.S._

"Oh my God," Kirsten whispered in awe. This wasn't just a book.

It was a journal.

And those happened to be her mother's initials. Alicia Stephens.

Immediately she flipped the cover of the journal to find a small sheet of paper fall to her lap.

_I believe your mother wanted this to be in your possession._

"No signature?" Kirsten mumbled to herself. However, she didn't bother mulling who sent her the journal as she read the long entry on the first page of her mother's journal.

_Kirsten,_

_As I am writing this letter the fight against Voldemort is still as strong as ever. But I believe that it will end soon. My intuition is warning me that something will go terribly wrong. And for once, I hope my instincts are wrong. We have discovered there is a traitor amongst us in the Order. I have my suspicions rooted as to who they may be._

_But let me put that aside since that information is contained within my journal. If you are reading this letter specifically, then I guess I was right about dying as well. Voldemort has been hunting me down ever since I left Hogwarts. The safety that Albus has provided me there has lasted me enough time to contain my power. Know how to control myself. Know who I am. I might sound different in this letter than I do in my journal, but that is because things have changed now. I am no longer carefree. I have lost my innocence from this war. And that damn bastard better be dead by the time you are reading this. Hopefully your father is with you instead of joining me._ _One too many people have perished and I would never want you to live through what I have lived through. _

_To see you grow was my dream along with your fathers'. I just wanted to let you know, that even though I am not with you physically, I am always by your side spiritually. I love you and always will, my little Kia. _

_With much love,_

_Alicia S. Black_

By the end of the letter, Kirsten found herself blinking back tears but failing miserably. So many thoughts spun around in her mind. Alicia Stephens, a woman she never met but desperately wanted to. This was her mother. She thought how differently life would've played out for her if her mother was still alive. So many open wounds would have never occurred in the first place. So many incidents wouldn't have occurred. So many traumatic events she wouldn't have experienced. But her mother was dead. Her life ended.

And it was all because of him.

Sadness was quickly overcome with anger at the name.

_Voldemort_.

Everything was always brought back to that wizard. The wizard that successfully wreaked havoc in the world. Who killed and destroyed many lives. Including hers. And according to Harry, he was still alive. Alive but weak.

Kirsten frowned at the thought before pulling the sleeve of the sweater she was wearing back to check her new watch.

* * *

A delicious blend of aromas wafted through the air as Kirsten made her way to the Great Hall for Christmas lunch.

"Ahh, my dear, it seems that fate has made us cross paths towards Christmas lunch," a misty voice said from behind her. Kirsten inwardly groaned at the familiar voice and had half a mind to walk faster and feign a moment of deafness. But she turned around realizing that the Divinations professor was closing in on her. Turning around I face Professor Trelawney all dressed up in a green sequined dress.

"Merry Christmas, Professor," she greeted, not pausing in her steps. The black haired witch didn't realize that she passed the doors of the Great Hall.

"Dear, the feast is this way!" Professor Trelawney called out.

"Damn," Kirsten swore under breath. But from the slight twitch in the Divinations professor's face, she could tell the woman heard. She walked back towards the woman. "I guess my sense of direction is failing."

"Yes, my dear, I sense that suffering will be ahead for you," Trelawney added in an all knowing voice, placing her hand on the young witch's shoulders. Was that suppose to make her feel any better? The woman needed to have better people skills.

Trelawney guided the young witch inside the Great Hall.

"Nothing but the best, eh?" the third year said sarcastically. Trelawney didn't catch the sarcasm in the witch's voice, and Kirsten was slightly surprised. The woman would catch the girl muttering and rolling her eyes in class days on end, and would tut and tell her use her "Inner Eye."

The third year took a glance at the Great Hall and immediately wanted to turn around. It seemed that someone had taken the liberty to push aside the house tables and conjure a table in the center of the hall. It wasn't the food that wanted to make the young teenager back out, but the combination of the individuals occupying the table. Sitting all at one table were Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick along with Filch.

Five other students were seated among the professors as well. Her eyes met Hermione and Ron, skipping over Harry's, and landing on two other individuals. One of them happened to be a third year Hufflepuff and the other a fifth year Slytherin. She smirked at the sight as all eyes were on her and Trelawney.

The caretaker was currently scowling in her direction and she so desperately wanted to smack the hell out of him. It wasn't her fault that his bloody cat kept disappearing on times at end. With just a little persuading, Peeves did just that perfectly. She decided to throw a smile in his direction.

"How's Mrs. Norris?" she asked him. And if she didn't know any better, the man would probably have gotten the bloody feline to attack her on site.

"Found her in the broom cupboard again," he snarled, narrowing his eyes in her direction. "Wouldn't know a thing about it, would you?"

Of course she would. She somehow convinced Peeves to stuff the bloody thing in the cupboard last night.

"Now, Mister Filch, I thought I reported to you weeks ago that this is all Peeves' doing," Kirsten told him, smiling all the while.

"Sibyll, Kirsten, this is a pleasant surprise!" Dumbledore said, interrupting the chat between the third year and the caretaker. And with good timing on his part. Filch was ready to lash out at her.

The headmaster stood up in greeting.

"I have been crystal gazing, Headmaster," Professor Trelawney said in her mistiest, most faraway voice yet, "and to my astonishment, I saw myself abandoning my solitary luncheon and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the promptings my fate? I at once hastened from my tower and when I fate made me bump into Miss Carlisle like I have seen I knew this was meant to be. I do beg you to forgive my lateness…"

"Certainly, certainly," Dumbledore said his eyes twinkling and he looked down at Kirsten. "Merry Christmas, Kirsten."

"Merry Christmas, Professor."

"Let me draw you two chairs –"

And with a flick of his wand, two chairs appeared from thin air and both fell with a thud. One chair was settled between Snape and McGonagall, while the other was between the fifth year Slytherin and the Hufflepuff first year.

Without a second thought, Kirsten settled herself between the Slytherin and the Hufflepuff. Like _she_ was going to willingly sit in between the two head of houses.

"I dare not, Headmaster! If I join the table, we shall be thirteen! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise is the first to die!"

"We'll risk it, Sibyll," Professor McGonagall said impatiently. "Do sit down, the turkey's getting stone cold."

Kirsten's lips quirked up slightly.

Professor Trelawney hesitantly lowered herself into the empty chair, shutting her eyes and clenching her mouth shut as if a thunderbolt was to strike the table at any moment. Kirsten rolled her eyes in exasperation at the woman. She was starving and it wasn't helping that Trelawney was taking her sweet overly dramatic time.

As soon as the woman's behind was on her seat, Kirsten stabbed a fork into the nearest platter of steak and piled it on her plate.

"Tripe, Sibyll?"

Kirsten looked up mouth full of food. Professor McGonagall had a large spoon dipped into the nearest tureen.

Professor Trelawney ignored her as she opened her eyes and she looked around the table again. "But where is Professor Lupin?"

The third year witch looked closely at Professor Trelawney as if she were stupid. Surely the woman must know what he was. Professor Lupin told her that the entire faculty knew his condition and that it took Dumbledore some time for the faculty to trust him.

"I'm afraid the poor fellow is ill again," Dumbledore said. "Most unfortunate that it should happen on Christmas Day."

"But surely you already knew that, Sibyll?" Professor McGonagall said, raising her eyebrows. Kirsten's mouth dropped open a little bit at the Transfigurations teacher's remark. And the third year definitely caught the cold look Professor Trelawney sent McGonagall.

"Certainly I knew, Minerva," she replied quietly. Kirsten's quirked up at the woman's response, but decided to start carving her steak into more pieces. "But one does not parade the fact that one is All Knowing. I frequently act as though I am not possessed of the Inner Eye, so as not to make others nervous."

"Yeah, that's not what makes me nervous," Kirsten muttered. She heard the Slytherin sitting beside her snorting at what she had said. The table was oddly silent for the next couple of seconds before Kirsten looked up and saw they were all staring at her. She smirked slightly and proceeded to eat her food.

"If you must know, Minerva, I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us very long. He seems aware of himself that his time is short. He positively fled when I offered to crystal gaze for him," Trelawney said, continuing the professors' conversation.

"Imagine that," she heard McGonagall say dryly.

This really couldn't get any better for Kirsten. Two professors, and one happened to be her head of house, were pretty much having a pissing match. She briefly tried to imagine the two woman in an all-out brawl.

"I doubt," Professor Dumbledore said in a cheery voice, "that Professor Lupin is in any immediate danger. Severus, you've made the potion for him again?"

Kirsten quickly looked over at Snape to see his malicious eyes on her. And for a split second she saw the start of a nasty smirk grace his greasy features before he looked at Dumbledore.

"Yes, Headmaster," Snape said.

"Good. Then he should be up and about in no time…Derek, have you had any of these chipolatas? They're excellent."

Kirsten turned her head to the occupant sitting on her other side and grinned slightly. He looked vaguely familiar and now she knew why. This was the defiant boy who sat in the same boat as her when they saw their first sight of the castle and questioned her about her age. He caught the grin on Kirsten's face and his face turned a furious shade of red as his hands started shaking towards the platter.

This only made Kirsten's lips twitch and the young witch leaned over to grab the plate of sausages and handed them to the boy next to her. If it was possible, the young boy's face turned an even more startling shade of red.

"Thanks," he said quietly. Kirsten's lips widened into a smile.

"No problem," Kirsten told him. "Derek Carrington, right?"

The young Hufflepuff nodded his head and she could see the semblance of the boy's defiant attitude from that night.

"Kirsten Carlisle," he said, his shy demeanor quickly fading. "Knew you weren't eleven."

"Oh come on, I'm just a little taller than you," she told him, grinning. She liked this boy already.

Derek's eyebrows rose as he stared at Kirsten.

"You're _tall_," he said, in an informative manner.

That definitely was true. Recently she had a bit of a growth spurt over the month of December, practically reaching Ron's height. And Ron was the tallest boy in third and fourth year besides Malfoy. The black haired witch nodded her head in agreement.

"You know, Justin Finch-Fletchley talks about you constantly."

This definitely threw Kirsten off. That and she heard Ron snort. She eyed the first year with her eyebrow quirked up in question. So _that_ was why Justin was more than happy to help her around the castle the first couple of weeks of school. Well, he wasn't bad looking. Kirsten glanced in Ron, Hermione, and Harry's direction a grin now on her lips. Ron's jaw was ajar and she could see the chewed food in his mouth, while Hermione had a smile playing on her lips and Harry's brow was furrowed.

"Yeah, he wouldn't stop all semester," Derek said, nodding his head. "To be honest most of the boys in Hufflepuff talk about you from time to time."

"Huh. I guess it won't be a problem to give them all a go then," Kirsten said, putting a piece of steak in her mouth and winking at the younger boy. The sounds of choking met her ears and she smiled at Ron and Harry who looked shocked. Reaching over Derek's plate, Kirsten grabbed his goblet and gave it to the young choking boy.

The entire table became silent as Derek's choking ceased.

"So I guess Justin's first?"

The first year looked at her with his mouth ajar, and Kirsten noticed he was looking at her with admiration. _That's a first._

An hour passed between the occupants of the table without further skirmishes.

Well, besides Kirsten and the fifth year Slytherin nudging each other in arms. It turned out to be painful for the Slytherin after he managed to hit the arm Kirsten was resting her chin on, causing her to fall face first in her plate of food. In an instant the fifteen year old was lying on the ground after Kirsten pushed his chair back with her foot. She tried her hardest to not laugh at his misfortune but failed miserably as did Ron. The third year witch was surprised when the Slytherin did not begin pointing fingers at her.

Now Kirsten rubbed her eyes tiredly, belly filled with food. It was hard to not look in the eyes that have been staring at her all throughout lunch since her conversation with Derek. She didn't want to look in Snape's direction. But it was hard due to Professor McGonagall currently asking her if she would like to have some type of dessert. And he was sitting only one seat away from Transfigurations professor.

She grabbed the platter of éclairs from the Transfigurations professor with a smile on her face. Maybe she could get on the woman's good graces and she wouldn't grade her remedial essays harshly. If not, then it was time to grab several éclairs and head out to find Lupin.

"Why thank you, Professor," she said, her smile widening. "You look absolutely beautiful in this light, you know."

The witch gave the young girl a look, but her lips moved up in a tight smile.

"If you think that will help your essay, then you are mistaken, Carlisle," McGonagall said, but Kirsten still saw the tiny smile on the woman's face.

"Oh come on, Professor. I actually tried to make sense this time."

It took Kirsten another ten minutes to actually achieve lifting herself up from her seat. The young witch failed horribly the first time, falling right back in her seat. She guessed it was the multitude of food she stuffed her face with. She pushed the chair back and proceeded to grab the napkin holding two éclairs until she heard a shriek.

"My dear! You left your seat first!"

Kirsten frowned at the woman and then remembered the spectacle Trelawney was making earlier about thirteen people and the first to rise…

"I doubt it matters," Professor McGonagall said coldly, "unless a mad axe-man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the entrance hall."

The third year witch couldn't help the grin that graced her features as she looked between Trelawney and McGonagall. She really couldn't get enough of these two bickering. It was the most entertainment she got since she's been in the castle.

They really did need to install televisions at the school. At least whenever she wasted her time, it would be somewhat reasonable. Instead of just staring out into space.

"I think the éclair'll get to me first, Professor," she said jokingly.


	20. Birthday REVISED

**REVISED 6/26/2013**

It didn't take long for Kirsten to head back up to reach the portrait of Sir Cadogan after Lupin pretty much kicked her out of his office. And this was after he took both éclairs from her. It wasn't her fault that she forgot it was only three hours or so until he transformed into a werewolf. Good on his part for practically throwing her out. She probably would've taken a little nap there if he hadn't. She was still exhausted after eating all that food.

Kirsten frowned slightly as she thought about how painful his transformation would be. And on Christmas day no less.

But the frown left her face as she grinned at the scene in Sir Cadogan's portrait. Apparently, the knight was throwing a party with several monks, a couple of previous headmasters of Hogwarts, and his fat pony. She couldn't tell if the knight was drunk or not. Cadogan was absolutely mad either way.

"Scurvy cur," she said.

"And the same to you, sir!" Sir Cadogan roared, as the painting swung forward.

He was definitely drunk.

Kirsten practically felt the tension as soon as she stepped through the portrait hole, watching the scene before her.

There was Professor McGonagall holding a sleek broomstick, with Harry and Ron looking at the woman in outrage. While Hermione held an upside down book to her face. But as soon as the portrait swung to a close behind Kirsten, all eyes immediately landed on Kirsten.

"Carlisle, did you send Potter this broom?" the Transfigurations teacher asked. Her grey eyes landed on the broom in the woman's hands and they widened, realizing the model of the broom. It was a _Firebolt_.

"A _broom_?" Kirsten asked incredulously. The older witch nodded her head in affirmation.

It took a lot of convincing on McGonagall's part to attend Madam Hooch's classes. Kirsten could tell that McGonagall thought it was hilarious that she was afraid of brooms. Or more importantly heights. She just thought it was ridiculous to depend on a chopped piece of wood to keep her suspended in the air.

"Then it is final, Potter," Professor McGonagall said, her eyes back on the bespectacled boy, "It will need to be checked for jinxes. Of course, I'm no expert, but I daresay Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick will strip it down –"

"Strip it down?" Ron repeated, as if Professor McGonagall was absolutely mad.

"It shouldn't take more than a few weeks," McGonagall continued. "You will have it back if we are sure it is jinx-free."

"There's nothing wrong with it!" Harry said, his voice shaking slightly. "Honestly, Professor—"

Kirsten's jaw dropped just slightly as she looked between Harry and McGonagall, and saw the desperate look on Harry's face. She remembered how fixated he was on it, and how passionate he was about Quidditch. But was he seriously about to cry? Over a _broom_?

Then her eyes narrowed as she processed McGonagall's words. Why would that broom be jinxed?

"You can't know that, Potter," Professor McGonagall said, her voice kind, "not until you've flown it, at any rate, and I'm afraid that is out of the question until we are certain that it has not been tampered with. I shall keep you informed."

Professor McGonagall turned on her heel and exited through the portrait hole.

Kirsten stared at Harry, Ron, and Hermione in confusion.

"What the _hell_ is going on?"

_"What did you go running to McGonagall for?"_

The black haired witch settled her eyes on Hermione, who now happened to be standing, face pink. Her brown eyes went from Kirsten to Ron.

"Because I thought—and Professor McGonagall agrees with me and if I tell Kirsten, her too—that that broom was probably sent to Harry by Sirius Black!"

Kirsten blinked as she looked at Hermione.

"Why would you think it would be him? Wasn't there a name – _oh_…." She remembered how McGonagall asked if she sent the broom.

She really shouldn't stuff her face till exhaustion.

The girl shook her head trying to clear her mind. Kirsten was about to open her mouth and continue talking until she realized who she was in front of.

And there was absolutely no way she was going to talk about Sirius Black in front of Harry. Who knew if the dark haired boy would slam her through the portrait hole this time?

Oh, she _wished _he would now.

He wouldn't know what hit him.

"Oh yes, let's sit around the fire and talk about daddy dearest," she said. The sarcasm was evident in her voice as she glanced at the trio. "We all remember what happened last time."

And without another word, Kirsten made her way up the stairs and dropped ungracefully on her bed, after entering her room. She was too tired to think about anything at the moment or change out of her sweater and jeans. Kicking her tennis shoes off the bed, she nestled her body beneath her sheets and fell asleep.

* * *

"You all right, 'Mione?"

Kirsten woke up in the early hours of the morning due to hunger. She was starving and practically ran through her dormitory door as soon as she pulled on her sweater over her head and pulled her wet curls into the messiest bun. She piled her plate high with food and didn't bother using her table manners. A barn owl flew to her side as she was digging into her plate. And with little difficulty was able to read the note from Hagrid to stop by his home. It wasn't long before Hermione joined her, only nodding her head in greeting with her mouth full of eggs. And it wasn't even minutes until she realized the odd smile Hermione was throwing her. She couldn't take it anymore.

The smile on the girl's face vanished, taking in the questioning look Kirsten was giving her.

"Don't tell me you forgot…" Hermione said, watching her face carefully. Kirsten's brow furrowed in confusion at her question.

_What the hell was she going on about?_

Kirsten's eyes dropped to a wrapped package Hermione was now holding in her hand.

"Oh," Kirsten said and shrugged her shoulders. She proceeded into devouring her bacon.

"Did you really forget your birthday?" Hermione asked, eyes wide at the girl before her.

The black haired witch raised an eyebrow at that with smirk on her face. She decided to finish the bacon in her mouth before answering. "Never exactly celebrated my birthday since I was five."

The incredulous look on Hermione's face vanished and was replaced with a sympathetic one. Kirsten rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Not trying to sell a sob story here," she said jokingly. "Anyways, it's just a birthday."

The look incredulous look on Hermione's face was enough for her to crack a smile.

Ron and Harry were the next to ambush her. She tried running out of the portrait hole, especially when she saw the gifts in their hands. But Hermione was standing in her way behind her.

Her eyes narrowed considerably on Harry.

She didn't know whether to be angry or content. She had no doubt that he was the one who told Ron and Hermione it was her birthday. And she wondered if he was still mad at her deep down even if he did get her a gift. Though he shouldn't be angry at her in the first place. She couldn't help that she was Sirius Black's daughter. And she didn't even know about it until that same day. If anything, she should be the one that was angry.

The anger flashed in her eyes momentarily as she looked at the emerald eyed boy. He looked away from her gaze and a smirk graced her lips in satisfaction.

_Served him right._

"Happy Birthday, Kirsten!"

The smirk was replaced with a smile in Ron's direction. The redhead grinned at her, handing her the gift in his hand. She didn't notice that he held two wrapped packages until now.

"I think mom sent a cake in this one," he told her.

The sun was setting by the time Kirsten decided to head up to her dormitory. The cake that Ron's mom made her was devoured and all she had left was the half-eaten cake Hagrid gave to her earlier in the day. She grew suspicious of his letter in the morning after Hermione reminded her it was her birthday. And low and behold, the man baked her a cake, gave her a gift, and the biggest hug she's ever received. All she really could do was smile at him.

The witch opened the door to her room to put the cake and the gifts away, when she spotted something on her bed.

Setting her things on top of her trunk, Kirsten sat down on her bed and looked at the tiny wrapped package. Slowly unwrapping the gift, Kirsten caught a glimpse of a shiny glint fall into her lap.

_What the hell?_

A frown formed on her face as she picked up the little object to find it that it was a beautiful white gold ring. There was no mistaking that it was a wedding band.

One question formed from her thoughts.

_Who would send her a wedding ring?_

Something caught her eye on the inside of the ring. She brought the ring closer to her eyes, realizing that words were engraved. Reading the small inscription, her grey eyes widened in shock and dropped the ring onto the bed.

_SB&AS Forever and Always. _


	21. Not What It Seems REVISED

**REVISED 6/27/2013.**

Kirsten really didn't really expect Professor Lupin to walk into the Great Hall, the morning students returned to resume classes the next day, and take a seat next to her on the long Gryffindor table. She saw the few returning students in the Great Hall throw odd looks at the two seated.

Lupin joining her at the table was odd, but she her mind was already occupied.

Her emotions have been a whirlwind since the start of winter break and, ever since she received that ring, the hold on her emotions have been even worse. She seemed to live in her thoughts more than reality since her birthday. She contemplated why her dad would send her his wedding ring.

According to the media, he was a raving lunatic who murdered over a dozen people.

According to the Ministry, he was after both her and Harry.

Of course, she had her doubts that the man was actually after her.

And with him sending that ring to her...proved it in a sort of way.

Then there was Harry and the _Firebolt_.

Hermione explained to her that Harry received it on Christmas with no note.

Very much like how she received the ring.

"Kirsten?"

The man's questioning voice brought her back to reality. Her eyes met his and a small grin was on her lips.

"Yes?" she asked. She didn't miss the concerned look on his face.

"Would you like to join me in my office after breakfast?"

* * *

The third year witch was beyond confused as she glanced at the watch on her wrist and at the thick book in her arms.

Remus Lupin had just given her book about Muggle fairy tales.

She couldn't shake the odd glint in his eyes.

He told her it was a birthday gift.

He knew when her birthday was.

Maybe he was much closer to her mother than she thought.

THWACK!

She swore loudly as she fell to the floor and looked up to see a grey wall before her.

"I cannot believe I ran into a wall."

"Neither can I," a voice said from behind her. She knew who the voice belonged to immediately and smiled slightly as she turned her head. A hand was held before her and she accepted it, coming face to face with the owner.

She saw the tall Hufflepuff's smiling face and punched him lightly on the shoulder before pulling him into a hug.

"How was your Christmas break?" he asked, resting his chin on top of her head.

"Eventful," she told him. She felt the warmth pull away from her and her eyes were met with a raised eyebrow.

"Kirsten..."

She gave the older boy an exasperated look. "Oh come off it. I'm _fine._ Besides how was your holiday?"

"It was good. My grandmother was a little more interested in the letters I was sending out though," he said. And if Kirsten didn't know any better she would say the sixteen year old's face was turning red.

"Oh?" she asked curious.

"Yes, but that's beside the point," he said hurriedly, brushing off the subject. His eyes then swept over her face and he frowned. "You don't look well..."

"I –" Kirsten broke away from his gaze and glanced up and down the corridor before grabbing a hold of his arm and leading him into an empty class room. She closed the door behind them. The look on Cedric's face confusion and curiosity.

"There's something you should know."

She paused before she took a seat on top one of the many desks that littered the room. He opened his mouth but Kirsten interrupted him.

"Sirius Black is my father."

Silence.

The last thing she expected him to do was _laugh_.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. She was being serious here for once in her life and he started laughing?

"I'm not kidding around, Cedric," she told him sternly. His dark grey eyes were practically smiling at her as he stopped laughing, a grin on his face.

"I don't doubt it. I - believe me when I say I'm shocked, Kirsten. It's just...well," he said, looking her up and down, "now that I think about it, you look a lot like him."

"_What?_"

"Your facial structure looks like his and your eyes... I'm guessing you got your skin tone from your mother," he said, referring to her brown skin. "But you look like him in a way – "

Her jaw dropped in shock.

"Don't get me wrong," he said quickly. "Your beautiful, it's just that since he is your father – wow, I can't believe you haven't figured this out sooner. His picture is all over the _Daily Prophet_."

"Exactly. Have _you_ seen him? The man looks like dreadful."

* * *

Kirsten grinned to herself as she walked in the fresh air of the Hogwarts grounds. She had just explained to Cedric, who swore that he wouldn't tell another soul, what transpired in Hogsmeade and about the Marauder's Map.

The look in the Hufflepuff's eye gave confirmed that she could trust him. After all he did start laughing after she blatantly told him who her father was. And for that she was truly thankful to have him as a friend.

Her legs carried her across the shore as she looked over the horizon. The lake was beautiful and she wished she could dive into the water there and then. Be able to swim or let her body float atop. She had half a mind to do so, but thought against it. Even though the cold temperature didn't affect her, oddly enough, she didn't want to take any chances. It was the dead of winter after all.

A sigh escaped her lips.

Something brushed against her leg and her eyes darted to the ground to find Hermione's ginger cat.

"What are you doing out here, Crookshanks?" she asked, frowning at the feline. Yellow eyes looked up at her before the cat started nudging her leg in the direction of Hagrid's hut. She stumbled in the sandy shore, startled by the cat's force. Looking down at the cat, Kirsten gazed at him curiously before looking in the direction Crookshanks apparently wanted her to get to.

She stood rooted to the spot as she saw a familiar four legged canine next to Hagrid's home before skulking into the Forbidden Forest. The furry feline sprang from behind her and sprinted into the forest. Unconsciously, her legs began to move in that direction and it wasn't long before she found herself in the forest not far from the outskirts. She turned around to see that she could somewhat make out Hagrid's hut from where she stood. The trees blocking most of it.

It was quiet where she stood with the occasionally odd noise that filled the air. Until her ears picked up footsteps crunching fallen leaves.

Whirling around, Kirsten came face to face with the most wanted man in Britain. He looked just as bad as he did the night he saved her. But there was something different about him. Her grey eyes met his and she saw something flash in his eyes while he surveyed her.

"I — I can't believe you're alive. They never told me that they finally found you — I thought at least they would tell me —"

"Nobody knew I was alive until I ran away from the orphanage," she interrupted him softly. The man's light grey eyes widened at the fact and opened his mouth, but she beat him to it. "I was missing according to Fudge. The bastard didn't even have the decency to tell me who my father was..."

"I'm sorry, Kirsten," the man said before her.

_Did he just apologize to her?_

Her mind was a jumbled mess. She was surprised herself with how calm she was around him at the moment. She had a feeling that not everything was what it seemed and that proved to be right so far. He was standing before her and not doing a thing that would threaten her.

She had so many questions for him.

"Are you after Harry?"

Sirius' eyes widened at her question before they narrowed considerably. A grim expression crossed his features.

"He's _not_ who I'm after," he said darkly.

"Then wh _—_"

SNAP.

The sound was a good distance away but that didn't keep Kirsten from turning around. The footsteps got louder and louder and in seconds Kirsten was face to face with a crossbow.

"Kia? What're yeh doin' out here?"

Kirsten frowned as she turned back around to find Sirius gone. She needed to find a viable excuse and thanked God that Hermione's cat was still standing beside her. Bending over she picked up Crookshanks and held him in her arms. "Crookshanks ran in here."

The large man's black eyes looked down at her before grinning.

"I know yer not 'fraid of the forest but its dangerous in here," he told her, leading her to the outskirts. "C'mon, I walk yeh to the entrance."

As the two reached the castle, Kirsten couldn't help but look back at the forest behind her.

_Then who was he after?_


	22. Detention With Lupin REVISED

**REVISED 6/27/2013.**

January quickly turned into February for Kirsten. She desperately wanted to find time to figure out what Sirius told her. He was after someone in the school. Not her or Harry. But whoever this person was had to be in Gryffindor, that was for sure. Why else would the man break into Gryffindor Tower?

That was about as far as she got. She unfortunately didn't have time to spare for her wandering mind like she did during Christmas holiday. Snape and McGonagall seemed to make sure that she was being more studious. Her "extra" lessons were becoming more tedious as it brought more essays for her to complete. Thankfully, Cedric and Hermione made sure she studied with them in the library constantly.

Harry was someone she was avoiding like the plague. After the encounter with her father, she couldn't face Harry. She wished she asked him if it was true that he sold out Lily and James Potter to Voldemort. But would Harry even listen to her if Sirius didn't?

She doubted it.

Kirsten's eyes currently surveyed the crowd around her and her brow furrowed into a frown.

"Where the hell have you gone?" Kirsten mumbled about her bushy haired friend. This happened almost everyday to Kirsten and Hermione must think she was stupid if she didn't notice. One second she would be next to Kirsten as they were heading to class or lunch, and the next Hermione would disappear by her side. She didn't understand how the witch did it, showing up quite a ways behind her. Of course there were students crowding the halls around these times so it was hard to move by in the large halls. Her eyes passed over Harry and Ron, but she couldn't find her bushy haired friend. It didn't take long for the crowd thinned considerably and there was still no sign of Hermione.

The third year felt her body being roughly pushed aside.

"Watch where you're going, Carlisle!"

The shriek caused all the students in the corridor to stop milling about in the halls.

Kirsten looked down and glared at the owner of the annoying high voice that shouted at her. She raised an eyebrow at the state Pansy Parkinson was currently in. The Slytherin's stood up with the help of one of her friends, her face and robes splattered with black ink.

"Take your own advice for once," she replied, proceeding to walk around the Slytherin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Parkinson pull out her wand and narrowed her eyes.

Oh, she's had enough of this.

The black haired witch grabbed Parkinson's wand hand quickly, twisting it as she pushed it to the side. She didn't stop there, pulling her arm back and slamming her fist into the side of Parkinson's face. A shrill scream escaped the Slytherin's mouth as she fell to the floor. Two Slytherin girls ran to their fallen friend.

"Shut the _hell_ up," she said slowly, glaring down at the girl. She stepped around the pug faced girl, ignoring the perplexed looks from most of the Gryffindors — Harry and Ron included — in her year, along with several Hufflepuffs, Slytherins, and Ravenclaws.

Her eyes caught sight of McGonagall walking right down the corridor towards her, a frown on her face.

Kirsten decided now was good as any to move as fast as she could.

"Classes have already started. What is everyone — Carlisle!"

Kirsten rolled her eyes.

"Bulstrode, take Parkinson to the hospital wing. The rest of you get to your classes immediately," the Transfigurations professor commanded. The students around her scattered and Kirsten moved to follow them. "Not you, Carlisle."

_Might as well make this quick._

"What happened this time?" McGonagall asked.

"Just defending myself from Parkinson, _again_," Kirsten told her truthfully. She had been on the Slytherin's radar more than usual since term started back up again.

Kirsten made sure to not break her staring contest with McGonagall. The woman nodded her head tersely.

"That is not an excuse," she told the girl.

"I'm not saying it is."

This got the professor to raise an eyebrow.

"I'll come by after dinner, I suppose," Kirsten added compliantly.

"Actually Professor McGonagall, if you don't mind, I would like Kirsten to serve her detention with me," a voice called out.

The professor and student turned their heads in the direction of the new voice and Kirsten had to try her hardest to fight a smile.

"Very well, Lupin," McGonagall said, glancing briefly at Lupin. Her eyes locked onto the young witch beside her and sent her a pointed look. "Carlisle, this will be your seventeenth detention since you've been here."

"Only seventeen? With all the scrubbing and polishing, and the occasional lines, I'm certain I did more," the young girl replied. "I'm pretty much a one man cleaning crew."

The pointed look McGonagall sent her turned into _the_ look in a heartbeat.

"Detention, Carlisle, for a week," the woman snapped at her. "I expect you on time to my class."

And with that, the strict woman turned around and headed into her classroom.

"Thanks, Professor," she said gratefully, and tucking a curly strand of hair behind her ear. The man just saved her from a weeks detention with her head of house. She started towards his classroom but a hand on her shoulder halted her movement, and she turned her head to face the young professor.

"Are you all right?"

Kirsten knew what he was talking about. She looked in the mirror earlier that day and took a little step back while she was brushing her teeth. The bags in her eyes were becoming more prominent due to her staying up most nights and trying to finish her work. It was hard work trying to catch up to her. She didn't have a problem with many spells as long as she practiced. It was just the amount of essays pushed on top of the pile along with the detentions she found herself in. And her trying to have better control over her power.

With the students returning, it made for better practice with Lupin's help but it hurt like hell.

"Yeah, just a bit tired," she told him. "Sorry that I held you off class."

He waved his hand as if it were no problem. The two began to head towards his classroom, and the professor glanced at the student beside him.

"Your detention starts at eight tonight in the History of Magic classroom," he said, entering the classroom, "and bring your wand."

Kirsten looked at the man in confusion.

_Bring a wand?_

* * *

"Professor Lupin! I'm so sorry I'm late!" Kirsten yelled, practically barreling through the History of Magic classroom. "I forgot you said Professor Binn's class —"

She shut her mouth as her eyes landed on the person beside Professor Lupin.

"If this is a bad time then I will happily come back tomorrow night," she said, her eyes flickering back and forth between the two. She saw the smile Lupin had on his face before looking at the bespectacled boy.

"No, this is your detention, Kia," he informed the witch.

All of her hard work avoiding the boy wonder.

This was possibly the worst idea.

"Maybe I should go and serve detention for McGonagall..."

She inched back to leave the classroom.

"You are serving detention with me," he told her, raising an eyebrow. "And I thought you'd enjoy this more than polishing all the trophies in the trophy room, am I correct?"

Oh, he had her there.

"I'm staying here," she said quickly, closing the door behind her. "What am I doing?"

"You are going to demonstrate the Patronus charm," he told her.

_He has got to be kidding._

Over the course of January, Lupin came up with the good idea for her to learn the charm. She knew that he promised to teach Harry, but to teach her? Even though they did affect her, it wasn't as bad as Harry. She finally gave in after Lupin reminded her that dementors were dangerous. She thought she would be able to perform the spell as easily as others.

Not at all.

It took her the whole month of January.

She nodded her head, pulling out in the process. She took a deep breath, thinking of a happy memory. A small grin formed on her face as she found the perfect one.

It was with Aaric.

"_Expecto Patronum!_"

Blinding her eyes for a moment, a stunning figure emerged from the tip of her wand. She looked on in mild surprise at the pearly white creature before her before a small smile broke out on her face. Flapping it's long elegant wings before her was, without a doubt, a phoenix. The radiant bird swept down and created circles around her body, causing her hair curly hair to fly around her face. It wasn't long before the bird stopped, reached eye level with her, and then vanished in a wisp of white smoke.

"That was excellent, Kia!" she heard Lupin exclaim.

She almost forgot that they were there. Her eyes landed on Lupin with a smile before glancing at Harry, his mouth open with shock.

BANG.

Kirsten nearly jumped at the sound and her eyes landed on a packing case, near Harry and Lupin.

She learned that Lupin had a boggart in there so Harry could practice the Patronus charm. After Lupin tried and failed to have a conversation, involving both her and Harry to question each other about their happy memories and the Patronus charm, Lupin had Harry go ahead and prepare to perform the spell.

Not wanting to get too close to the boggart, the witch made sure to be a safe distance away from other two. Kirsten watched Harry closely as Lupin opened the box, revealing the thing Harry feared most.

She felt the same sensations she did with a real dementor, but tried her hardest to keep her concentration on Harry. As much as she didn't like him at the moment, she did want him to perfect the spell. The dementors really did affect him the worst way possible.

_"Expecto Patronum!"_ Harry yelled. "_Expecto Patronum! Expect—"_

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

His yelling was pushed to the back of her mind as she felt heartbeats pounding in her head unexpectedly. Taking a deep breath, the girl tried to grab a hold of something to let her anger out. Her hand grasped around something solid. But it was useless at the moment due to one heartbeat in particular. It was beating faster than she ever heard one before. She needed to stop soon. She could feel the anger...

It stopped suddenly and the girl let out a sigh of relief as the sharp pain subsided and left her with a terrible headache. Her grey eyes opened and widened when she found a shocked Harry and a concerned Lupin staring at her. She was sitting on the floor and stood up quickly, frowning.

_What happened to the desk...?_

Her eyes landed on the desk she held on to, or what was the desk. On the floor were three large broken pieces of wood.

She _broke_ the desk.

Kirsten looked at Lupin, a troubled look on his face, before she saw him pull out his wand. She didn't hear him utter a word as he repaired the desk.

"Are you —"

"It's nothing, Professor. I — I just have a headache," she told him. The man nodded his head, but the look still didn't leave his face.

She was getting the hang of controlling the heartbeats, and this happened to be the first time in months that it went out of control. And she knew why. That one heartbeat was pounding faster than she's ever heard. And she knew who it belonged to.

Harry.

It was odd how it _felt_ familiar to her. After all she was sure this wasn't the first time she's heard his heartbeat before.

"You're expecting too much of yourself," Professor Lupin said. Kirsten looked at him to see he was talking to Harry. "For a thirteen-year-old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement. You aren't passing out anymore, are you?"

"I thought a Patronus would—charge the dementors down or something," Harry said. "Make them disappear—"

"The true Patronus does do that," Lupin told him. "But you've achieved a great deal in a very short space of time. If the dementors put in an appearance at your next Quidditch match, you will be able to keep them at bay long enough to get back to the ground."

"You said it's harder if there are loads of them," Harry said, and Kirsten rolled her eyes.

_Oh no, Harry. The _more_ dementors there are the _easier_ it becomes._

"I have complete confidence in you," Lupin said, his lips pulled into a smile. "Here—you've both earned a drink—something from the Three Broomsticks. You won't have tried it before—"

The man pulled out what Kirsten noticed to be three bottles of butterbeer from his briefcase.

"Butterbeer!" Harry said, clearly not thinking. "Yeah, I like that stuff!"

Kirsten shot him a look of warning as he caught her eye.

_Was he an idiot?_

Lupin raised an eyebrow, looking back and forth between her and Harry.

"Hermione and Ron bought some back for us when they went to Hogsmeade," she explained to him. She honestly didn't care if Harry got in trouble. But since she was here and was apart of the little Hogsmeade adventure, there was huge possibility she would get in trouble if he did. The last thing she wanted was to get another week of detention.

"I see," the professor said, but his eyes told her that he was still suspicious. "Well—let's drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw! Not that I'm supposed to take sides, as a teacher…," he added hastily.

The three began to drink their butterbeer in silence.

"What's under a dementor's hood?"

Kirsten glanced in the green eyed boy's direction before looking at Lupin thoughtfully.

"Hmmm…well, the only people who really know are in no condition to tell us. You see, the dementor lowers its hood only to use its last and worst weapon."

"What's that?"

"They call it the Dementor's Kiss," Lupin told him, with a slightly twisted smile. Kirsten nodded her head, following the conversation. That was the main reason why she took Lupin on his offer to teach her the Patronus charm.

"It's what dementors do to those they wish to destroy utterly. I suppose there must be some kind of mouth under there, because they clamp their jaws upon the mouth of the victim and—and suck out his soul."

Harry accidentally spat out a bit of his butterbeer.

"What—they kill—?"

"Oh no," Lupin interrupted him. "Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you'll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no…anything. There's no chance at all of recovery. You'll just—exist. As an empty sell. And your soul is gone forever…lost."

Kirsten wondered how many people had that happen to them. To have their very soul taken away. She shuddered as she thought about it.

_Nobody deserves that._

"It's the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the _Daily Prophet_ this morning. The Ministry have given the dementors permission to perform it if they find him," Lupin said, after taking another sip of his butterbeer.

Her mouth dropped and she mentally cursed, realizing that was why Hermione wouldn't let her read the _Daily Prophet_ during breakfast.

"He deserves it."

Kirsten's head snapped in the direction of the boy. Her bottle slipped from her hands and cracked as it made contact with the floor. She felt the liquid seep onto the bottom of her robes and saw it spray the floor. It didn't take her long to pull out her wand.

"_Scourgify!"_ she whispered, pointing it at herself and the ground. Anger flooded through her, closing her left hand into a fist before she pointed her wand at the shards of glass. The shards of glass picked themselves up and formed back into the bottle, although it was empty. She glanced at her hand, a small wave of shock hit her since she didn't mutter a spell. But she met Harry's eyes and she felt her own narrow, the bottle forgotten.

"Nobody deserves that kind of punishment no matter who they are," Kirsten said, and was slightly surprised how cold her voice sounded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lupin's eyes widen.

"Sirius Black deserves it," Harry responded heatedly.

"Why does he deserve it?" she retorted, glaring at his emerald green eyes.

"For…for some things."

"For some things that nobody can _prove_," she remarked. "Look at it this way. What if your father was in Sirius Black's position? I wouldn't want him to serve a fate like that, _Potter_."

Pure silence ensued the classroom.

She watched Harry as he said his thanks to Lupin and left the classroom, leaving her alone with the professor. Watching the boy who lived walk out the door, Kirsten slumped her shoulders. Her eyes downcast on her bottle, she could feel her anger slowly cease.

"Kirsten, what is going on?"

In her moment of anger she forgot Lupin was in the room. It was the first time she had an actual conversation with Harry since he decided to get slam-happy with her on their Hogsmeade escapade.

"Sirius Black is what's going on," she replied hotly.

She didn't give a damn if he knew that she knew anymore. How long did they think they would hide such vital information from her? Besides Dumbledore knew about this, so she really care.

The man's eyes widened as he looked at her and he opened his mouth, but Kirsten beat him to the punch.

"I don't know how _stupid_ Fudge thinks I am," she said, narrowing her eyes at the thought of the man. He was definitely not on good terms with her. And she doubted whether he ever would redeem himself. "How could I not find out that Black's my father?"

Her eyes flashed at the man before and she saw his eyes were wide as he looked at her.

"And now my friend is severely pissed at me for what my father supposedly did," Kirsten continued. "The man doesn't seem to act like a murderer."

She rolled her eyes at the thought. She really wanted to punch him right now.

"What do you mean?"

Kirsten looked at Lupin and tilted her head to the side, watching him look at her with confusion mingled with shock and concern.

"You need to know he's not after me or Harry," she told him quietly. "Don't tell anyone will you?"

His eyes widened in shock at the girl before him and before he could say another word, Kirsten walked out of his room. She was glad that the professor didn't follow her to ask anymore questions.

Her legs carried her through the corridor and she caught sight of Professor McGonagall handing Harry a broom before leaving him with a few words. A smirk tugged at her lips as she walked towards the now lone Gryffindor.

"No jinxes on it?"

Green eyes met hers and she didn't witness any furious glint in his eyes. Just a hint of shock.

"Nothing," he responded breathlessly. Kirsten didn't stop as she walked past Harry and was surprised when he decided to walk next to her.

"Kirsten, I —"

The boy who lived was cut off by a certain redheaded Gryffindor as the two turned the corner.

"Hey Kia!" Ron said, glancing her way with a smile. His attention immediately turned on Harry, and his eyes looked at the broom in awe. "She gave it to you? Excellent! Listen, can I still have a go on it? Tomorrow?"

"Yeah…anything…," Harry said, not even looking in Ron's direction. His green eyes were on Kirsten, and the girl decided to walk ahead of the two friends. "You know what—we should make up with Hermione….She was only trying to help…"

"Yeah, all right," Ron said. "She's in the common room now—working, for a change—"

Kirsten wanted to roll her eyes at the two boys. She couldn't believe that Ron and Harry stopped talking to Hermione because she reported the broom to McGonagall. It was just a _broom._

She turned into the corridor to Gryffindor Tower and was met with Neville pleading with Sir Cadogan.

"I wrote them down!" Neville said tearfully. "But I must've dropped them somewhere!"

"A likely tale!" Sir Cadogan roared. It wasn't long till the knight spotted her.

"Good evening, fair Lady Kirsten! What a plea—"

"Oddsbodikins," she said, interrupting the knight. He reluctantly swung the portrait open as he eyed Neville.

"Hey," she greeted Neville. "What was that all about?"

"Thanks, Kirsten. I lost all the passwords after I made him tell me the other passwords he's going to use this week and I wrote them down because he keeps changing them," Neville said miserably as they went through the portrait hole together.

"It's all right. I'll make a list for you. I asked him earlier also so I could memorize them," she reassured him, throwing a smile his way. It didn't take Kirsten long to bound up the spiral staircase to her dormitory and said hello to Parvati and Lavender.

Kirsten's eyes landed on her bag full of homework and then glanced at bedside table where her mother's journal sat. She hadn't even opened it since reading the first page of her mother's letter to her. And she really did want to have a look.

Her eyes went back and forth between her homework or her mother's journal. It took about a good half an hour of deciding. But that could be because she was chatting it up with Parvati and Lavender.

She headed back downstairs and settled in the sofa next to Hermione, a smile on her face. Hermione raised an eyebrow as she looked at the journal in Kirsten's hands.

"Are you done with all your work?"

"No, I've got two more papers to write before the nights over," Kirsten replied.

"Kirsten..."

Kirsten felt Hermione's curious eyes on the journal in her hands and met her brown eyes with a grin.

"What's that?"

"My mother's journal," Kirsten told her quietly. She saw her brown eyes widen in surprise.

"Your mum's...when did you get it?" she asked curiously.

"Christmas day and I still haven't —"

"LOOK!"

If Kirsten wasn't so adamant about keeping herself collected, she possibly would have punched Ron in the face at that very moment. She turned her head to see him storming in their direction, bed sheets in his hand.

"LOOK!" he yelled again, voice shaking as he did so. Kirsten looked at Ron incredulously when he decided to stuff the bed sheets in their faces.

"Ron, what—?"

"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!"

_Oh._

Kirsten took another look at the sheets to see a stain trailing along the sheets.

"BLOOD!" Ron yelled into the stunned silence. "HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?"

"N—no," Hermione said, her voice trembling.

Ron throws something down on top of Hermione's rune translations. Catching her eye were strands of hair that were very familiar to Kirsten, considering they were all over hers and Hermione's bed. Her eyes traveled to see Ron looking furiously at Hermione, his mouth shut.

Grey eyes narrowed as a thought struck her.

He put the bed sheets in their _face_.

"You're going to have a hell of a lot more to yell about if you don't take that _bloody_ sheet away from my _face._"


	23. Break In REVISED

**A/N: REVISED 7/10/2013**

It seemed that the friendship between Ron and Hermione was temporarily over. The two were more furious with one another than Kirsten had ever seen. Hermione would constantly talk shit about Ron to Kirsten, and most of the time Kirsten found herself laughing so hard she cried. She was sure that Ron talked about Hermione more than Hermione did about him though. The amount of times she's heard him so far.

She had to play mediator more times than most between the two and Harry the same. Kirsten even witnessed Hermione going off on Harry when he had the audacity to tell her that Crookshanks ate Scabbers. She even found herself pulling Hermione out of the common room on more than one occasion for Ron's safety.

Out of the whole ordeal the only people who found Scabbers getting eaten slightly funny — beside herself — were Fred and George.

Kirsten breathed out a sigh of relief when she found an empty classroom. She sat down in one of the many desks and heaved out a great sigh. Neither Hermione or Cedric were with her or meet up with her any time soon.

Her hands moved to her bag and she pulled out her mother's journal. Looking at the leather bound journal, Kirsten fingered the binding. It didn't take long for her to open the journal somewhere in the middle.

_November 26, 1975_

_If Sirius and James try to curse Severus one more time, then... ugh! I threatened them and even played pranks on them — with Peeves help, of course — for Severus. Can they not get it through their thick skulls that Severus is my friend? They had the nerve to bully him in front of me, again. How many times have I told them to stop. And Severus too. He would keep egging them on with their constant nagging and throwing curses their way. Maybe I shouldn't tell Lily what happened. As much as I love her, I do not want to hear her go off on James again. He is my friend too. _

_Either way, I expect better from James and Severus. _

_Sirius...? Not so much._

_Speaking of Sirius..._

_He. Is. Driving. Me. Mad._

_He's been acting very unusual so far this year. More strange than before, actually. In other words: why the hell was he spying on me when I was on a date with Amos Diggory earlier in the year and my date with Ludo Bagman just last weekend. _

_James was being very elusive about Sirius' behavior when I asked him. So I cornered dear old Remus who stayed as passive as possible during my questioning. He just had a smile on his face when he talked with me. How could he not tell me anything? We've been friends since we were five! I'll just have to find Peter then. He'll more than likely tell me what's going on with Sirius. _

_He may be best friends with James, Remus, and Sirius, but I can make him squeal. I have done it before._

_Funny now that I think of it. How convincing he could be towards James, Lupin, and Sirius after he would tell me the pranks they were planning whenever they would leave me out._

_Oh, hell. Sirius is making his way over to me. _

_Alicia Stephens_

Kirsten's mouth was open in pure shock as her mind was racing a mile a minute.

_Remus?_

_Severus?_

_Peter?_

She understood that her mother was good friends with Harry's parents and Sirius... but those three? Her mind was spinning. Lupin told her that he was friends with her mother, but they were friends since they were little children. Maybe that was the reason he bought her gifts on Christmas and her birthday.

But Severus as in Severus Snape?

"Carlisle, what are you doing here?"

_Speak of the devil._

The cold voice echoed in the room, and Kirsten whirled around in her seat. Her grey eyes connected with Snape. She stood up from her seat, the journal in lying on the desk. It wasn't long for the Potions professor to reach where she was sitting, and he made for the journal.

She didn't stop him. Only stared at him incredulously.

"Might I remind you that —"

But he didn't finish his sentence as his eyes roamed the entry that she just read. For the first time in her stay at Hogwarts, Kirsten saw Snape's eyes widen.

"My mom was friends with _you?_"

She couldn't help it. But who could really?

Her mother was good friends with the man that's been constantly trying to make her life in Hogwarts miserable.

It was the oddest moment Kirsten had ever experienced with the man. As they stared at one another, she could swear that she saw something other than malice flash in his eyes. Something different. Something familiar. A look that Lupin threw her way constantly when she was with him. But in the seconds she witnessed the look, he recovered from his shock. She saw the way the warmth in his eyes left as they kept to their staring contest.

It wasn't long till she found herself once again alone in the classroom with her mother's journal in hand.

She didn't know how long she stayed like standing.

Her mind was a whirlwind once again.

Her mother knew Lupin and Snape.

She glanced down at the open journal in her hands, and she traced a finger over the page.

_Peter._

Her eyes reread the part about Peter, and she concluded that Peter was in fact Peter Pettigrew.

_He may be best friends with James, Remus, and Sirius, but I can make him squeal. I have done it before._

_Funny now that I think of it. How convincing he could be towards James, Lupin, and Sirius after he would tell me the pranks they were planning whenever they would leave me out._

She tilted her head. Something didn't settle right with her about that.

But that didn't bother her as much as what just occurred with Snape.

"What is going on?" she muttered in confusion.

"Talking to yourself again, Carlisle?" a voice said, breaking her from her thoughts. She looked up to find a certain blond Slytherin leaning against the classroom door frame.

"I'm not in the mood," she grumbled. She stared down at the journal before closing it shut. Looking up she found Malfoy observing her with narrowed eyes.

"You're a bit touchy. You and Potter have a fight?" he commented, his tone mocking. Kirsten raised both her eyebrows at his question.

"As a matter of fact we did. Now can you leave?"

The gleeful and malicious look in his eyes caused her to roll her own.

"Father sent news that the hippogriff has practically been sentenced," he told her.

"Can you give it up?" Kirsten asked exasperated, strapping her bag over her shoulder. "Hagrid told everyone not to insult Buckbeak."

"I didn't hear anything that oaf said, Carlisle," Malfoy replied. "I couldn't understand any of the words coming out of his mouth."

"And I won't be able to understand anything coming out of yours if you don't shut the hell up."

A thought struck her as she looked at the blond boy in front of her and she couldn't help the sly smile that pulled at her lips.

He somehow knew about Sirius and Harry's history. He revealed that much during her first ever Potions lesson. But he didn't know about hers. That was certain.

Stepping in front the Slytherin, Kirsten left only an inch of space away from Malfoy. The smile on her face faltered slightly when she looked up at him. It was a little unnerving for Kirsten to get so close to his face. She could practically feel his breath on her face, and she could feel the heat rise in her body.

But she ignored it all as she looked him dead in the eye.

"I guess you should know who my father is," she whispered. "He is the first man to escape a high security cell in Azkaban."

And with the last word, Kirsten walked off leaving Malfoy gaping at her.

* * *

Kirsten's eyes swept the Great Hall as she looked at everyone around her. George sat down next to her and Hermione on the other side.

An owl landed next to Hermione, who grabbed the _Daily Prophet_ from the owl's leg. The witch made sure to put a Knut in before the owl took off. Kirsten's eyes landed on the cover of the paper to find the ever familiar face of Sirius Black on it.

"Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?" a cold voice drawled. Kirsten took her eyes off the paper to land on the owner of the voice. Both Crabbe and Goyle stood on either side.

"Yeah, reckon so," Harry said casually.

"Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?" Malfoy said, his eyes glittering maliciously. "Shame it doesn't come with a parachute—in case you get too near a dementor."

Crabbe and Goyle sniggered at that insult.

"Then it's a damn shame you've never been close to catching the snitch," Kirsten retorted for the green eyed boy. The Gryffindor team, that happened to surround Kirsten and Hermione, laughed loudly. Malfoy's pale eyes met hers in an instant.

The black haired witch tilted her head as she kept her eyes locked on his.

"I told you what you needed to know," she said, referring to the day before. And she knew he caught on with that when his eyes narrowed, causing a smile to grace her lips.

The Slytherin stalked away from them, but not before looking back at her. Not a trace of a smirk on his lips.

"What the bloody hell was that?"

Kirsten broke her gaze from the Slytherin to find her fellow Gryffindors staring at her in confusion and curiosity.

"Just a little understanding between us, Ron," she answered nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

The third year resumed eating her breakfast and the confused stares turned into laughter as chatter grew around her.

Only one pair of emerald green eyes stayed focused on her the duration of breakfast.

* * *

The Quidditch match turned out to be very amusing for Kirsten. Harry didn't have to know it, but he made her day. She didn't know if she could laugh any harder at the sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Flint being reprimanded by Madam Hooch after Harry sent his patronus their way. The fools tried to impersonate dementors.

Not only did she get a great laugh, but Gryffindor won the match. And a party happened to be in full swing in Gryffindor Tower due to the big win.

"How did you do that?"

Angelina's squeal caused Kirsten to jump slightly in George's grasp around her shoulders.

"With some help from the Marauders: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," George muttered to Kirsten. Her grey eyes met the redheads and she stared curiously.

A thought ran through her head. A wild thought actually. Her mother mentioned in her journal that Sirius Black, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin were friends.

_Padfoot?_

The man told her a name. A nickname. If Sirius was Padfoot, then that meant the other three were the Moony, Wormtail, and Prongs.

That meant they were the Marauders.

"Kirsten?"

She locked eyes with George. Kirsten didn't miss the look of concern flash through and felt touched by his concern. The Weasley twins had extended an offer to her as an operative to several of their pranks over the past few months, telling her it was the best stress reliever that could be offered.

Of course, she didn't object.

But her mind at the moment was too fixated on the new revelation at hand.

The identity of the marauders.

Kirsten didn't want to be badgered at the moment, and certainly did not want to be a downer to their festivities. So she grinned at him and pressed her lips to his cheek.

The shade of red that George's ears took didn't pass her. But she dismissed it as embarrassment when she caught several other Gryffindors looking her way with raised eyebrows, including Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell.

Kirsten rolled her eyes and her grin widened. She took this as her time to leave in search of her bushy haired friend. The black haired witch pushed her way through a small crowd of students and spotted Hermione, bending over all sorts of books and trying to get her work done.

The revelation of the marauders was pushed to the back of her mind as she neared her friend.

She didn't bother to ask her if she was okay when the two witches shared a look. Just by looking at her, Kirsten could tell that the weight Hermione carried was taking its toll on her. She knew the witch was strong, but the fact that her two best friends were not talking to her made it even worse.

_Speak of one and they shall come._

Of course, Harry decided to show up at that very moment. Kirsten narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. She tried avoiding him as much as possible. Obviously that was impossible due to them sharing mutual friends and living in such close proximity.

"Did you not even come to the match?"

"Of course I did," Hermione answered, her eyes glued to the work before her. Kirsten noted the strange high-pitched voice and inwardly winced. "And I'm very glad we won, and I think you did really well, but I need to read this by Monday."

It was an odd moment indeed when Harry and Kirsten shared a look of concern for the witch. As if they were happily still friends and nothing problematic happened between them.

"Come on, Hermione, come and have some food," Harry said, chancing a glance over his shoulder at Ron.

"I can't, Harry. I've still got four hundred and twenty-two pages to read!" Hermione replied. Her voice took on a note of hysteria and Kirsten frowned at the state her friend was in.

Hermione had constantly badgered her since that Hogsmeade trip if she was all right, obviously concerned for her health. The bags under Kirsten's eyes may have taken up a more permanent residence, showing how off she was. But looking at Hermione, Kirsten couldn't help but shake her head.

"Anyway…" She glanced over at Ron also. "_He_ doesn't want me to join."

"If Scabbers hadn't just been _eaten_, he could have had some of those Fudge Flies. He used to really like them—" Ron said loudly as if right on cue. Hermione burst into tears. It didn't take long for the bushy haired witch to disappear up the staircase to the girls' dormitories.

"Really Ron?" she asked exasperatedly. The redhead gave her a questioning look but she rolled her eyes at his insensitivity, and followed Hermione upstairs.

Hours passed until Kirsten went back to the common room, mother's journal in hand, when she spotted her head of house standing before the partying Gryffindors. McGonagall didn't stay after she demanded everyone get to bed. It didn't take long for the celebrating Gryffindors to head up to their beds.

Kirsten thought the coast was clear until she realized that a certain wizard decided to linger. She met his gaze.

"Is she okay?" Harry asked, clearly concerned for Hermione.

She nodded her head in response. "She'll be fine."

The air between them was awkward as ever. Kirsten had been careful not to have a full conversation especially after what happened in Lupin's office. She had a feeling that he wanted to talk to her, but she did what she did best at the moment.

Avoided him like the plague.

"Good match," she told him.

He nodded his head in thanks, and she saw a hint of a smile on his lips. He opened his mouth but closed it shut as if he were about to say something.

"Good night, Kirsten," he said.

To Kirsten it felt like ages until he disappeared up the staircase to the boys' dormitories. She moved to the couch and pulled her feet up, balancing her mother's journal on the arm.

It took her nearly two hours of skimming to find the familiar names of the marauder's in the journal, her eyes drooping every so often in exhaustion. Silently promising herself that she would fall asleep as soon as she read this entry.

_November 17, 1975_

_I cannot believe what I just witnessed. I cannot believe that James, Sirius, and Peter could even pull this off. Well, maybe I can believe James and Sirius...but really?_

_I knew something was off when they weren't in their rooms at night during the times of Remus' transformation. Like I would even believe Sirius when he told me they were planning a prank. Without Remus? And telling me on top of that?_

_Not a chance._

_The matter stands that I just saw Peter shrink down into a rat. A rat. I had to blink a couple of times to make sure that I wasn't seeing things. And low and behold, James transformed into a large stag and Sirius into a giant dog._

_Wait a minute..._

That_ explains why they go by the damn nicknames. Prongs definitely suits James and Padfoot describes Sirius to the tee. I already realized earlier in the year why they kept calling Remus Moony. I guess Peter's is the only one that doesn't make sense. Hell, I feel for him. Who would want to be called Wormtail?_

_Maybe it is an advantage that they don't know that I know about Remus' problem. But then again, how could they even assume I don't know? Do I need to remind them that Remus is my oldest friend and we've known each other before even attending Hogwarts?_

_But hell, after seeing that? _

_They have a lot of explaining to do._

_Alicia Stephens_

Kirsten blinked back at the entry in surprise and her tired mind was furious whirlwind, trying to process what she read.

The three were at animagi. She knew that Sirius was an illegal animagus, but Harry's dad and Peter Pettigrew?

Only a few seconds passed when the sound of the portrait hole swung open. Kirsten frowned, staring in the direction. From what she remembered everybody went upstairs. And she didn't remember anyone going out...

"Holy _shit_."

Those words slipped out of her mouth as the portrait hole swung to a close. Her eyes were wide, staring at the man before her. His grey eyes were just as wide as hers, a deer caught in the headlights.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Kirsten's mouth dropped open.

Did he seriously just ask her that?

He just broke into Gryffindor Tower.

Sirius Black was in Gryffindor Tower.

"How did you get in?" she asked, tilting her head. He waved his hand around and she caught sight of a piece of parchment.

"Some boy wrote down this week's passwords," he replied.

_Neville_.

But why was he in Gryffindor Tower? Who was here that he wanted to get a hold of if it wasn't her or Harry?

"Who is it?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

Kirsten just stared at him.

"Azkaban hasn't driven me mad —"

He stopped abruptly raised a finger in silence. Her eyes were narrowed considerably as dozens of ideas flashed in her mind. A small twisted smile made way on her face.

"Are you telling me that Peter Pettigrew is disguising himself as a student?" she asked him. The man shook his head in response and pulled out what seemed to be an old issue of the _Daily Prophet_. He neared Kirsten and she stood up next to him to examine the paper.

There in a magical moving picture was Ron and his family in a desert background, waving and smiling at her.

"He's the rat."

Her eyes shifted to see Scabbers on Ron's shoulder.

_Oh my God._

Kirsten looked at Sirius to see her staring at him. Things were finally falling into place.

"All that was found of him was a finger," she whispered to him. "But why are you after him? Weren't you James and Lily's secret keeper?"

The two Blacks shared a look. Kirsten studied his grey eyes and facial features. The look he was sending her answered her question.

"He was their secret keeper," she said quietly, looking down in thought. So much was finally making sense to her at the moment.

Looking up, Kirsten found herself alone in the common room.

_Where did he go?_

The common room was silent and she couldn't hear a sound all throughout Gryffindor Tower, not even a creak of the floorboards. Kirsten frowned at the lack of noise and settled back into the edge of the couch exhausted beyond belief. Laying her head down against the arm, she frowned.

Was she just imagining things?

* * *

"IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!"

Kirsten Black rolled over at the sound and found herself crashing against something. Her head was in total pain at the collision and she could feel a liquid sliding down the side of her face. She bit her lip back from shouting in pain.

Whoever the hell was yelling was going to be sorry that they were.

"PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME HOLDING A KNIFE!"

"Kirsten!"

"Sirius Black killed Kia! There's blood all over her face!"

Kirsten felt two pair of hands handling her body. She swatted her hands away in protest and turned her body over onto her stomach. Cracking her eyes open, she was met with the familiar rug of the Gryffindor common room.

What the hell was she doing here in the first place?

Her head was pounding and she closed her eyes as she pushed herself off of the floor, only to hear Ron shouting again.

"If you don't shut the hell up, Ron —"

"Carlisle! Make her lie down at once, Potter, Miss Granger!" an authoritative voice commanded.

Kirsten opened her eyes to see chocolate brown and emerald green staring back at her. Her eyes shifted quickly to see the decorative table she hit her head against only moments ago before meeting their concerned gazes. Harry and Hermione helped her up onto the couch and she sat down.

It was then that she noticed how crowded it was in Gryffindor tower common room. Every single Gryffindor was downstairs, staring at Ron and McGonagall.

"I'M NOT KIDDING PROFESSOR! IT WAS SIRIUS BLACK!" Ron said loudly.

"What was Sirius Black?" Kirsten asked alarmed, realizing that Ron's been yelling her father's name.

"He was in the dormitory, over Ron's bed with a knife," Hermione whispered, her eyes wide with fright.

Kirsten couldn't help her mouth dropping open in shock. So that whole conversation did happen. She didn't imagine it.

That meant...

"Scabbers," she whispered.

She didn't realize that Hermione and Harry could hear her, garnering looks of confusion. Kirsten just shook her head.

"Don't be ridiculous, Weasley. Carlisle, did you see Black while you were here?" the Transfigurations professor asked sternly.

The black haired witch didn't know what to do. She could easily lie, but then that would bring consequences if anyone figured out the truth.

"I was reading when I fell asleep. If he came in, he didn't harm me," she told the older witch. "I fell against the table when Ron started yelling."

"Ask him," Ron stated, pointing a shaky finger at the back of Sir Cadogan's picture. "Ask if he saw—"

Professor McGonagall glared suspiciously at Ron before pushing the portrait back open and went outside. The whole common room was silent. But Kirsten already knew what Sir Cadogan's would say.

"Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?"

"Certainly, good lady," Sir Cadogan said, causing everyone in the room to look stunned.

"You—you did?" McGonagall said, her voice quivering with something akin to anger. "But—but the password!"

"He had 'em!" Sir Cadogan told her proudly. "Had the week's, my lady! Read 'em off a little piece of paper!"

Professor McGonagall pulled herself back through the portrait hole to face the Gryffindor students, her face was as white as chalk.

"Which person," she started, her voice shaking, "which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?"

Utter silence filled the common room and Neville raised his hand into the air.

Kirsten tore her eyes away from Neville as her thoughts constantly whirled around.

With what she thought would be an uneventful night turned out to be the most eventful. The most thought-provoking. A pang in her chest felt out for her father. She always knew something was awfully strange about his behavior and the story that came along with his imprisonment. And now she knew why.

Sirius Black was innocent all along.


	24. Snape's Grudge REVISED

**A/N: REVISED 7/10/13.**

_Sirius Black was innocent._

Kirsten Black had that fact swimming around her head for the past few days now. After what occurred in Gryffindor Tower that night, Professor McGonagall escorted her to the hospital wing because of the injury the table caused her. That didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the Gryffindors. She had an inkling that Colin Creevey and his little gang were the ones who started the rumor of her encounter with Sirius Black.

It wasn't until the next morning that Kirsten was released from the infirmary.

And it didn't take her long to find a free moment with Cedric either. It took her sometime to assure her friend that she was indeed okay. It also took her sometime to explain to him what happened, making him swear that he won't tell a soul of course.

"You're telling me that Peter Pettigrew is an illegal animagus," he said, his eyes never leaving hers. "And that he's Ron's pet named Scabbers."

Kirsten internally cringed about how far fetched it sounded when it put that way, but nodded her head. She saw her friend lean his head back as his eyes narrowed. He was more than likely thinking everything through.

"So Sirius was framed?" he asked her, causing her to nod her head in affirmation.

"I know this sounds craz —"

"I believe you."

Her eyes widened considerably as she looked at her friend. He nodded his head at her before opening his mouth to speak again.

"It sounds incredibly mad, but it makes sense," Cedric confessed, a small smile working its way on his face.

"So you actually believe what I'm saying?" she asked. She had to make sure that he wasn't thinking this was some whole joke. Yet again, she wouldn't think Cedric ever would.

"Do you not want me to believe you?"

"No. No, I do," she assured, cutting him off. Her lips lifted up in a smile as she looked at her friend. "It's just — thanks."

* * *

"Kirsten, what —"

"Shut up, Hermione."

Kirsten Black couldn't take her eyes off of her fellow witch. She watched the harried girl in concern. Ever since the night since Sirius broke into Gryffindor tower, she's noticed that Hermione was more jumpy than usual. She could tell that Harry and Ron not speaking to her was taking a heavier toll than she originally thought. The dark circles that began to form underneath Hermione's bloodshot eyes definitely alarmed Kirsten.

Hermione needed to have a venting session.

"I want you to tell me what's going on," Kirsten demanded, knowing that this would get her going.

She saw the witch's expression of confusion turn into puzzlement.

"What's going on with me? Nothing is wrong, Kia. I've been asking you that, but you won't ever tell me. I can only imagine what you're going through. Finding out your father is Sirius Black, having your friend turn his back on you, the fact that —"

It was at that moment that Hermione burst into tears and Kirsten heart broke a little for her friend. She wrapped her arms around the shorter witch and let her cry. Here Hermione was supposed to vent about her issues, but instead turned the table on trying to get Kirsten to open up and vent as well.

"Harry and Ron are going to talk to you again," Kirsten assured her. There was no denying that. She's seen the bond between the three of them. They loved each other. They've been through so much together. There's no way they would break apart over a rat that wasn't even a rat to begin with.

"They're stupid," she continued, "but they'll come round."

Minutes passed before Hermione pulled away from Kirsten, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her robes. She caught sight of a trembling smile making way on Hermione's face.

"Kia, I thought it was a bit odd at first. The way you handled everything that's happened to you," she said, meeting Kirsten's eyes. "But now I realize why you didn't breakdown at all. You're a strong person."

Kirsten couldn't help the grin on her face as she looked down at her friend. But she went back on everything and hoped nothing drastic will happen in the years to come. She could only stay strong for so long.

"It's inevitable."

* * *

Kirsten needed answers.

She could feel her feet carry her through halls and stopped when she reached the office of a Remus Lupin. Before she could even raise her fist to knock on the door, the door swung open.

Standing in front of her was the man she desperately needed to talk to.

"Kirsten, what a pleasant surprise," he said, a smile on his face. "I was just on my way to find you."

Oh, she knew he was. The man had sent her letters for days now asking her to join him in his office, so they could talk. She wanted to ignore him. But after what occurred and what she just learned, she needed to.

He guided her into his office, closing the door shut before proceeding to make her hot chocolate. It didn't take long for him to make and the two were seated across from one another.

She could see him shift uncomfortably in his seat as he took a sip from his mug. She narrowed her eyes at him.

Was he afraid of her?

"There's something you should know."

Her eyebrows shot up in question at his odd behavior.

"You should know that I was more than just acquaintances with your parents," he said, inhaling deeply. "They were my best friends."

This wasn't news to Kirsten since she picked that apart from her mother's journal. The woman did reveal that bit of news. Clearly this wasn't the big piece of information with the way he was still looking warily at her.

She nodded her head for him to continue, lifting her mug to her face.

"I'm your godfather."

It wasn't exactly the best timing for her to a large sip of hot chocolate. The large intake of breath she took didn't help as she began choking and sputtering on her drink. A large whoosh caused Kirsten to look in the direction of the fireplace and she nearly shrieked, but due to her coughing, only a gurgling noise escaped her mouth. She gulped the rest of what was the hot chocolate in her mouth and cleared her throat.

Among the flames in the fire was the image of Snape's face.

"Lupin! I want a word!" the voice boomed throughout the entire room.

"What the h —"

"Bring Carlisle along," the head snapped, his eyes on Kirsten before it suddenly disappeared.

Her head was spinning.

First Lupin was telling her that he was her godfather. And now a firey image of Snape's head was demanding her to go to his office.

Kirsten got up from her seat and set the mug down carefully and glanced at Lupin. He threw her an apologetic look before beckoning her to the fireplace. She saw him grab a hold of a jar and she glimpsed at the sparkling green powder contained within.

"Do you know how to use Floo transportation?" Lupin asked her. She nodded her head.

"I think I got the concept," she told him, remembering what Fudge did back at the Leaky Cauldron. She grabbed a bit of the powder into her hands and threw it inside. Instantly, the fire turned into the familiar shade of emerald green.

"Professor Snape's office, right?" she asked him. The man nodded his head in response. After stepping in the green flames, she yelled her destination. Everything around her spun in circles faster and faster. But before she felt as if she was going to spin out of control, the fireplace spat her out into Snape's office.

"You called, Severus?" she heard Lupin ask mildly from beside her.

"I certainly did," Snape said. Kirsten smirked at the expression on the man's face. Whoever pissed him off was a genius. She saw him stride over to his desk. "I have just asked Potter to empty his pockets. He was carrying this."

Snape pointed at the old parchment Fred and George gave to Kirsten and Harry before their escapade to Hogsmeade. The familiar names of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were shining on the parchment.

Where the hell did he get that?

"Well?" Snape said rather impatiently. Kirsten looked over to see that it was not just the three of them that stood in his office, and shook her head at who it was. Harry's eyes were staring in her direction.

What. An. Idiot.

"Well?" Snape said again. "This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter and Carlisle got such a thing?"

Kirsten's mouth dropped open slightly at Snape's words and she narrowed her eyes at the boy who lived.

_He didn't._

"Full of Dark Magic?" Lupin repeated mildly. "Do you really think so? It looks to me that it is a piece of parchment that insults anybody who reads it. Childish, but surely not dangerous? I imagine they got it from a joke shop—"

"Indeed?" Snape cut him off, his jaw rigid in anger.

"You think a joke shop could supply such a thing? You don't think more likely that they got it directly from the manufacturers," the Potions professor pressed, looking directly at Lupin.

Kirsten's eyes narrowed as she looked at the two men before her, realizing what was happening.

Snape knew about Lupin's connection to the Marauder's Map.

It wasn't long till Kirsten felt the eyes of all three males in the room.

"What?" she asked.

"Do you know any of these men?" Lupin asked, pointing at the parchment.

Kirsten looked at the map in his hands and bit back the smile that was about to form on her face. She shrugged, and pulled a thoughtful look on her face. "Not a chance."

Neither Lupin nor Snape were convinced, but Lupin nodded his head.

"You see, Severus?" Lupin continued. "It looks like a Zonko's product to me—"

Ron burst in the room, his eyes landed on Kirsten before looking at both Lupin and Snape.

"I—gave—them—that—stuff," Ron choked out loud, trying to gather some air. "Bought it—in Zonko's—ages ago."

"Well!" Lupin said cheerfully, clapping his hands together. "That seems to clear that up! Severus, I'll take this back, shall I?" He folded the map and tucked it inside his robes. "Harry, Ron, come with me and Kia. I need a word about my vampire essay—excuse us, Severus—"

It didn't take long for the group of four to stop in front of the entrance hall doors. Kirsten folded her arms in front of her as she glared at Harry.

"How was I dragged into all of this?" Kirsten asked him, breaking the silence.

"Your name kind of slipped out of my mouth," Harry said his voice quiet. She rolled her eyes at his confession.

That definitely screamed Harry.

At least he didn't attempt to lie.

"Well, that's a brilliant idea. Your damn lucky that nosy git didn't ask me questions," she told him. She was about to go on but was interrupted by Lupin's cough. She turned to look at him and saw the knowing look he sent her way.

It was then that she remembered what he told her.

"Professor I —"

"I don't want to hear explanations," Lupin said curtly, interrupting Harry. He looked around the empty entrance hall and lowered his voice as he continued. "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago. Yes, I know it's a map.

Kirsten looked at the parchment in wonder. Could she somehow use it to find Pettigrew?

"I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, however, astounded that you didn't hand it in. Particularly after what happened the last time a student left information about the castle lying around. And I can't let you three have it back."

That plan was gone before she could even develop one properly.

"Why did Snape think I'd got it from the manufacturers?" Harry asked.

A small smile made way onto her face as she looked in Lupin's direction.

"Because…" Lupin hesitated,"because these mapmakers would have wanted to lure you out of the school. They'd think it extremely entertaining."

"Do you _know_ them?" Harry asked. Kirsten raised an eyebrow at his question, the small smile still playing on her lips.

Harry was definitely warm, but not warm enough.

"We've met," the wizard replied rather shortly. He told Harry that he wouldn't cover for him again and that his parents didn't make a sacrifice which he shouldn't take in vain.

"You coming?" Ron asked Kirsten.

"I'll catch up," Kirsten told them. As soon as the two Gryffindors were out of sight and out of earshot, Kirsten turned towards Lupin.

"So you're my godfather..." she trailed off, looking the man up and down.

The stern look that was on his face fell as he looked sheepishly at his goddaughter.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you any sooner," he said.

She shook her head, a small smile on her face. "At least you told me."

Kirsten stepped closer to her godfather and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. It didn't take long for him to hug her back.

"Anyways, I shouldn't have been so surprised," Kirsten told him. Lupin pulled away slightly looking at her curiously. "The amount of times you could've given me detention... definitely felt like I was teacher's pet. Wouldn't exactly want that. With my reputation and all..."

Lupin grinned at her little rant and Kirsten could see how young he really was. If he wasn't the same age as her parents...

She shook her head at the thought.

She really shouldn't be having thoughts like that about him.

He was her godfather.

A thought struck her at the moment and she couldn't help the smile that lit her face. She saw Lupin's eyes narrow slightly at the action, and almost rolled her eyes.

"Did you still want to talk?"

Checking her watch, she shook her head. Maybe another time. "I have something else to take care of."

Kirsten only walked a couple of feet before she turned around to face him, walking backwards. She knew he was going to badger the hell out of her for this but she couldn't help it.

"I'll see you later, Mister Moony."

Sending a wink his way, Kirsten hurried down the hall before he could catch her.


	25. Accusations

**A/N: Wow this sucks. According to my slow typing syndrome, I can't meet the deadline of typing and posting up all the chapters by the end of this week. But on the upside I went to see Dragonball Evolution and it was actually okay. I thought it was going to suck big time like that streetfighter movie did but it was actually good. Anyways an early Happy Easter for those of you who celebrate Easter on tomorrow and Happy Easter for those who celebrate it next sunday, like me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: Not today, maybe tomorrow, as a matter of fact I don't think I'll ever.**

**IN THE BOOK THE CLASS ORDER IS CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES, CHARMS, DIVINATIONS BUT IN MY WORLD ITS GOING TO BE MAGICAL CREATURES, CHARMS, DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS, DIVINATIONS BUT DIVINATIONS IS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!! (for the freaks who like to complain about simple things like this. Haha! Just kidding. Actaully, I'm not.)**

**I warn you my young children this girl knows how to string up some pretty bad words...**

* * *

Entering the common room I see Hermione with Harry and Ron. Tears staining her face, I spot a letter in Ron's hands. She rushes over to me.

"Buckbeak's going to get executed," she says. The light smile that is on my face completely vanishes. Ron hands me a tearstained and blotchy letter.

_Dear Hermione and Kia,_

_We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. Execution date to be fixed. Beaky has enjoyed London. I won't forget all the help you two gave us._

_Hagrid_

"He's not going to get executed. There's still the appeal," I tell her. 'And if that doesn't work, then I'll free him myself.'

* * *

I can't even stroll around the grounds during the evenings anymore or go to visit Hagrid, so instead we talk to him during his Care of Magical Creatures class. He seems to be numb with shock at the verdict.

"'S'all my fault. Got all tongue tied. They was all sittin' there in black robes and I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all them dates, yeh both looked up fer me. An' then Lucius Malfoy stood up and said his bit and the committee jus' did exactly what he told 'em…"

"There's still the appeal!" Ron says fiercely. "Don't give up hope yet, we're working on it!"

"S'no good, Ron," Hagrid says sadly as we reach the castle steps. "That committee's in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. I'm jus' gonna make sure the rest of Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that…" And Hagrid turns around rushing back towards his cabin.

"Look at him blubber!"

I turn around narrowing my eyes at the three baboons. Hermione already making her way towards them.

"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" Malfoy says. "And he's supposed to be our teacher!"

'Damn. Is he going to get it. Hermione looks a little pissed.' I watch as Hermione's hand makes its way towards his face, resulting in a loud—SMACK!

Malfoy staggers back from the blow and a chuckle escapes from my lips while I step up next to her. She raises her hand.

"Don't you _dare_ call Hagrid pathetic, you foul—you evil—" "Hermione!" Ron yells, trying to make a grab for her but my eyes catch his movement and I grab his arm.

"Don't stop her," I warn him as I look back at the scene in front of me. Hermione pulls out her wand. Malfoy steps backwards away from her. His eyes avert from her wand to me. A small grin appears on my face and he looks over at Crabbe and Goyle, who look bewildered.

"C'mon," Malfoy mutters, glancing at me for a second and all three of them disappear into the passageway to the dungeons.

"_Hermione!_" Ron says again, sounding both stunned and impressed, and then he looks over at me. "I'm surprised you didn't get at him, but…_Hermione!_"

"Harry, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final," Hermione says shrilly. "You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin wins!"

"We're due in Charms," Ron says still goggling at Hermione. "We'd better go."

Climbing up the marble staircase, I'm behind Hermione. Harry reaches to open the door and then in front of my eyes Hermione vanishes from my view. My eyes rapidly blink as I shake my head and look again at where Hermione was just standing. 'What?! Where'd she go?'

"Ki," Ron says and enters the Charms classroom. Looking back at the spot where Hermione was just at, I enter the classroom.

"Boys and Miss Carlisle, take a seat please and wands out. We're experimenting with cheering charms today," Professor Flitwick says and I take a seat next to the vacant chair Hermione usually sits in. Not showing up for the rest of class she becomes a no show for lunch.

"You don't think Malfoy did something to her?" Ron says rather anxiously.

"Check the common room, will you?" I tell them and stand up looking at the Slytherin table and grab some food in a napkin.

"Where're you going?" Ron asks.

"I'll see you in Defense, alright? Give this to Hermione," I say putting the napkin in Harry's hands and walk out of the Great Hall and into one of the passageways directing towards the dungeons.

"What the hell was that?"

Whirling around I see a pair of eyes glaring at me.

"What the hell was what?" I reply stepping closer to him, my hand in my robes' pocket.

"You cursed me the other day," Malfoy says.

"I don't recall cursing you. Do you mind telling me what happened?" I ask tilting my head to the side.

"Why should I tell you?" he sneers at me.

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked," I say my voice dangerously calm and I slip out my wand, pointing it at his throat.

"Everything became blue and their was white moving," he says immediately.

"What else," I demand.

"There were pounding sounds."

Lowering my hand, I stare at him.

"Oh my God…" I mutter. "Oh my God…" My hand reaches up to my temple as I feel a headache start and I begin to make my way to Lupin's class.

"Kia?"

The voice breaks the silence and I lift my head up to see the entire class staring at me. 'Am I going mad? Did I just walk myself over here and not remember?'

"Sorry," I mumble and my feet carry me towards my seat which is next to Hermione. Placing my elbow on the table my eyes wander to the window. 'Hadn't Harry told me Malfoy's dad was a follower of Voldemort? What if he says something—?'

"Kia, you're needed in Professor Dumbledore's office," Lupin says. My gaze drifts over to Lupin's hand where a note lies. "You won't be needing to take your things."

"Did you do something?" Hermione whispers.

"Not that I know of," I reply, getting up from my seat and out of the room. 'Why take me out in the middle of class?' Passing through the gargoyles after giving them the password, I open the big doors into his office. My eyes narrow as I notice that Dumbledore is not the only inhabitant of the office.

"Hello, Kia. I am sorry to disturb you during class," Dumbledore says sincerely.

"I don't mind, Professor," I say, a small grin on my face. "So why am I here?"

The portly man shifts in his chair and stands up, his eyes on me. 'More like _glaring _at me.' "I think you know full well why you're here, Miss B—Carlisle," he says looking quite flustered as he was about to call out my true last name.

The grin on my face turns into a smile. 'I know why I'm here. Maybe I should take this into my own hands.'

"What would it have taken me to create such a resentful attitude and be directed towards me from the Minister of Magic?" I mutter to myself but do so loud enough for Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and the minister.

Putting on a serious but playful manner I look over at Professors McGonagall and Snape.

"Do either of you know what this man of great importance to the magical community is talking about?" I ask them getting closer to them. "Do you know? No? Okay, then!"

Swaggering away from them, I glimpse at Professor Dumbledore and see him smiling. Overdramatically, I whip back around to face the minister and stick out my hand.

"Hello, sir. Excuse me for not introducing myself. My name is Kirsten Carlisle," I say but then scrunch up my face, shake my head and recline my hand.

"On second thought, I take back the Carlisle." I drop down into a chair, that I know for certain Professor Dumbledore conjured for me earlier. "The matron there made up the last name. It could be Potter, White, Dumbledore, _Black_."

"Quit rambling, Carlisle, and explain yourself," Fudge says.

A taken aback expression crosses my features. 'How rude. I guess nobody taught him any manners for the so called accused.'

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about," I tell him.

"Do not—"

"Cornelius, she does not know what is going on here," Professor McGonagall says briskly defending me.

"And I'd like to know," I say looking over at Fudge with an innocent expression.

"Kia, Cornelius is here to ask you what happened the night of Sirius Black's second attempt into Gryffindor tower," Dumbledore says.

"You really want to know?" I ask the minister. "It's very _serious_."

"Carlisle—"

"It's _Miss_ _Carlisle_, sir. I want my name formally pronounced," I interrupt looking up at the ceiling.

"There was food. A whole lot of it along with some drinks. There is no party without those good things. Me and Hermione were sitting down at a sofa, reading. Then Ron says something rather rude to her about his rat. She runs to the dormitories upset and I go after her. I come back downstairs later to see that Professor McGonagall ordered for everybody to go to bed and I congratulate Harry on the way down when I see him—"

"Why is it that you went to congratulate him then? Did something happen?" Fudge asks interrupting me _again._

"We're in a disagreement," I reply mildly.

"What is it that you are disagreeing?"

Scooting my chair closer to the minister, I peer at him. 'Just trying to get something on me, isn't he?'

"How many times a week do you get _intimate_ with your wife?" I ask him and he looks at me puzzled. "Alright. I see you are not going to answer that question because it is _personal_. _You_ don't like personal. _I _don't like personal. So let the _personal_ details pass and on with my story.

"Now, I stayed downstairs so I can do some reading and researching—"

"And what was this reading and researching?"

"For Buckbeak, the hippogriff you sentenced to be executed some time," I reply my tone a bit monotone.

"Nothi—"

"And so," I say loudly to drown out his voice. "I was pacing up and down the room to get in deep thought of what types of cases I should use for Buckbeak's case when I trip and fall and I black out."

"Nothing else to say? Nothing at all?" Fudge asks suspiciously.

"Unless you're a seer then maybe you can figure out what my dreams mean. I've been having dreams frequently with me in a world full of sweets and even though it's a dream those chocolates tasted delicious…"

"So you didn't see Black enter the common room? You supposedly fell unconscious when Sirius Black entered Gryffindor tower?"

"That's right," I respond slowly and then look over at him with a smile. "You think that I helped Black into the common room, don't you?"

"I think it highly likely that you did," he replies, his voice fierce, standing up.

"You only came here to interrogate me," I state, the light smile still on my lips. "Why?"

"You were the only one in the common room," he replies coolly.

"Very true," I say nodding my head. "But I'm not sure that that's the reason why you're accusing me of something that I think is not true. And since you're not going to be saying it anytime soon—" getting up from my seat I look over at the professors and make my way towards the office doors —"I don't think there's anything more to discuss."

I pull the knob, but it is sealed shut. 'Don't tell me that complete faggot locked it?' Turning around I spot the Minister of Magic himself pointing his wand at the door. 'Or is it me? Shit, I can't tell.'

"You stay in here until I am done!" Fudge barks fiercely. Dumbledore stands up from his seat looking directly at Fudge. Professors McGonagall and Snape looking perplexed most likely by the actions Fudge is taking. 'Or maybe it's because I still have a grin on my face.'

"Cornelius, never accuse a student of mine that has never been proven guilty. I will ask you to sit down, now," Dumbledore says his voice calm.

"Oh no, Professor, I'm quite fine. There is no need for interference in our little dispute," I tell him and look back over at Fudge. My hand slides down in my robe pocket and pull out my wand. Raising it up for Fudge to see, I give him a little smile and turn around.

"_Alohomora!" _I say pointing my wand at the door. It does not budge. I turn my head over to look at Fudge. "I'm not liking this…"

Flicking my wand at the door, it bursts into large chunks causing dust to fill the area. Carefully, stepping over the pieces I get on the other side before he can see me.

"_Reparo!_" The chunks all come back into the rightful places creating the door. Walking down the steps, the gargoyles leap aside as I make may way towards them and stride towards my class. Finally reaching the class, I grab the doorknob.

"CARLISLE!" I hear Fudge shout and under my hand the knob twists and the door opens to reveal Lupin. The other classes in the corridor open their doors. "IF YOU GO THROUGH THAT DOOR!" he threatens. By this time the hallway is filled with students and the teachers of that class.

"You'll what? What are you willing to do?" I ask him, my voice surprisingly still mild. "Are you willing to shove my arse in Azkaban?"

"With language like that and the fact that you left under questioning—"

"When you've been living in an orphanage all your life you tend not to have parents to any, but you're willing to send me to Azkaban because you suspect me?" I say and then shake my head and then start to laugh a bit. "No, no. You don't suspect me. You're willing to send me to Azkaban because I'm close to Harry Potter. You're willing to send me to Azkaban because an escaped convict is after him. You're willing to send me because I look a lot like Sirius Black. You're willing to send me because Sirius Black is my father!"

The entire hallway crowded with students stare on with wide eyes being completely quiet. Fudge stares at me, his eyes narrowed.

"How did you figure that out?" he asks and I let another grin appear on my face.

"I'm pretty damn smart if I do say so myself. And when things get hidden from me, I tend to find out," I reply.

"Carlisle, we will head over to the Headmaster's office an—"

"Discuss what? I gave you your chance, but you seemed to want to take it in your own hands. Don't worry, I won't try to kill anyone. I hope you heard the try because it'll be a little hard to get away with murder on the Minister of Magic," I mutter but I notice I said it a bit too loud. 'Oh well.' I whirl around and begin to walk away.

"Don't even think about going!!" Fudge yells. I hastily pull out my wand and face Fudge pointing it directly at him. Gasps can be heard throughout the corridor.

"Try to come near, minister. I can tell you that it won't look pretty. You damn bloke. You're such a shitty arse bastard I want to sna—"

"I think that is enough, Cornelius," Dumbledore says stepping into the scene, his eyes glaring at Fudge. "You have disrupted the classes and have deeply disappointed my student."

Dumbledore gives me a kind smile as he comes towards me.

"I am sincerely sorry, Kirsten, for this unfortunate ending. I have not planned that the meeting would have gotten out of hand and I assure that you will not be disrupted in any of your classes," he tells me.

"It wasn't really your fault, Professor," I say. "And I'm sorry about your door."

"At least you repaired it before you left," he says with an amused smile and he walks away, Fudge beside him.

"Damn faggot," I say aloud to myself and then look ahead of me to see a whole bunch of students staring at me. 'When did they come out?' I walk towards the open door to the Defense Against the Dark Art's room and enter, seating myself in my seat. Lupin enters the room glancing over at me, the students following him in and of course just…look.

Hermione slides in her seat next to me and I spot a small grin on her face.

"I take it back when I said you're strong. With the way you handled the minister, you're more than that."

I frown at her and take a hand up to her head, feeling if she's hot.

"Are you feeling okay? I just argued with the Minister of Magic and your complimenting me…" I whisper and I feel a playful nudge against my arm.

"Shut up, will you?"

'Well she did go off on Malfoy…'

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**A/N: Thank you for reading the chapter! I hoped you guys enjoyed it! I know I take forever with this but when I follow by the books I have to add my own flavors in it...**


	26. Crystal Ball

**A/N: Hiiii everybody!!!!!!! I tried posting up this chapter yesterday but it wouldn't let me login for some strange reason but here it is now. Hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: Uh huh, I definitely own this...**

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I hurry out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts room so Lupin will not be able to speak to me. Two different arms wrap around my shoulders as I continue on to my next class.

"That was the most—"

"Brilliant and expressive speech—"

"We've ever heard."

I roll my eyes but a small tug at my lips gives me away as I start to shake my head a bit. The redheaded twins let go of me and begin to walk backwards in front of me, large smiles on their faces, allowing Hermione to walk beside me. 'Figures.'

"They were about to start clapping and cheering," Angelina Johnson says coming up from my other side, a smile gracing her features, "but you already went into class."

"I'm pretty sure you were about to do that yourself, Angelina," Katie Bell says coming up beside Angelina.

"I wasn't the only, Katie," Angelina responds and then looks over at me. "In all honesty, I don't give a damn who your father is. Don't want to be late for class. So I'll see you sometime."

Soon enough it's just me and Hermione walking towards Divinations. I feel the stares of students as I walk past. Whispers everywhere. 'Well, it is a school.' Older Gryffindors clap me on the back as the younger years of different houses move out of my way as quickly as possible.

"You know, I thought they'd be scared," I tell Hermione giving her a side glance as a very good looking and older Ravenclaw student smiles at me.

"If I had camera maybe you'd see what we saw," Hermione says.

Climbing in through the trapdoor I stand up straight to get to my seat when Hermione pulls my arm.

"How about we sit with them," Hermione says nodding her head in the direction of Harry and Ron. Two other seats lefts at their small table.

"What for?" I ask. "I'm not in the mood to sit near him."

"Come on, Ki. I'm sure that he won't say anything to start something," Hermione insists and I see Ron wave us over. Giving in with a sigh, Hermione gives me a reassuring smile and when she turns around to go and sit, I roll my eyes. I do a double take as I see that the seat she took is next to Ron. 'I should've saw that coming.'

Seating myself down next to Harry, I look ahead of me to see a small crystal ball sitting on top of the table.

"Bloody hell, Ki. First Hermione, now you getting at the Minister of Magic?" Ron says completely astonished. Then his face scrunches up in confusion. "What did Dumbledore mean about the door?"

Hermione and Harry look on with the same look of interest at this question and I can tell that the Pavarti and Lavender are listening in. 'Some people just can't mind their own business.'

"Fudge tried to lock me in and so I sort of…blew up the door," I tell them quietly. Ron's mouth drops down in shock along with Harry's. I look over at Hermione to see her smiling and I give her a weird look.

"I seriously think you need to see Madam Pomfrey," I say and tap my head with my index finger. Hermione rolls her eyes but the light smile is still on her face. Ron looks back and forth between us and he opens his mouth.

"Good day to you," the familiar misty voice of Professor Trelawney comes from the shadows. "I decided to introduce the crystal ball a little earlier than I had planned," Trelawney says. "The fates have informed me that your examination in June will concern the Orb, and I am anxious to give you sufficient practice."

Hermione snorts at that and I look over at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, honestly… 'the fates have informed her'…who sets the exam? She does! What an amazing prediction!" she says not troubling to keep her voice down. I let a smile curve up on my lips and Ron and Harry stifle their laughter. Putting down my elbow, I rest my cheek in my hand.

"Crystal gazing is a particularly refined art," Trelawney says dreamily. "I do not expect any of you to see when you first peer into the Orb's infinite depths. We shall start by practicing relaxing the conscious mind and external eyes," Ron starts to giggle uncontrollably, "so as to clear the Inner Eye and the super consciousness. Perhaps, if we are lucky some of you will see before the end of this class."

"Your up first, Ki," Ron says nodding at the crystal ball. I grab the ball and set it in front of me. Peering into the ball, grey and white swirls around. 'This is never going to work…' I begin to push back the ball until the swirls start to move away. A man with his wand out gets hit by a spell from a woman across him. My eyes turn everything slower than it should be as I get a closer look at his face. Shaven and more cleaner than the picture on the Daily Prophet is the face of my father. His lips curved up as he laughs but then white envelopes him and his eyes widen as he goes through a large doorway partially covered by curtains. A person runs up to the doorway and tries to go through until another stops him, holding him back. Another person, this one clearly a girl since her frame is shaped nicely into the tank top and jeans she is wearing, walks slowly towards the other two. My eyes widen as I see who they all are.

"Kia!"

I blink in surprise at the voice and I see that it was Ron calling me out. My eyes flash back at the ball I see the grey and white swirls again. I look back up at them.

"I was a little out of it, you know," I tell them.

"Did you see anything?" Ron asks.

"No," I lie shaking my head and let my fingers drum against the table, but I feel another set of eyes staring at me. I push the ball into Ron's direction. "It's your turn."

Ron observes the crystal ball in front of him. My mind whirling with questions of what I just saw and what it means occupies my thoughts.

"See anything yet?" Harry asks.

"Yeah, there's a burn on this table," Ron says pointing. "Someone's spilled their candle."

"This is a waste of time," Hermione hisses. "I could be practicing something useful. I could be catching up on Cheering Charms—" Professor Trelawney rustles near us.

"Would anybody want me to interpret the shadowy portents within their Orb?" she murmurs over the clinking of her bangles.

"I don't need help. It's obvious what this means. There's going to be loads of fog tonight," Ron mutters loudly. At that crack I burst out laughing with Hermione and Harry joining.

"Now really!" Professor Trelawney says as everybody looks at our table. "You are disturbing the clairvoyant vibrations." She comes towards our table and peers at the Orb. 'A good reason why I don't want to sit here.'

"There is something here!" Trelawney whispers and lowers her head to the ball. "Something moving…but what is it?"

I bite my lip to keep from saying an insult directed at her.

"My dear…" Trelawney breathes gazing up at Harry. "It is here…plainer than before…my dear…stalking toward you—"

I groan loudly in annoyance and prop my forehead on the palm of my head with my elbow on the table once more. She stops and regards me.

"Oh for goodness sakes!" Hermione says loudly. "Not that ridiculous grim again!"

"I am sorry to say that from the moment you arrived in this class, my dear, it has been apparent that you do not have what the noble art of Divination requires. Indeed, I don't remember meeting a student whose mind was so hopefully mundane."

My eyes travel to Hermione who looks ready to curse someone. 'I take it she's going to leave now.'

"Fine!" Hermione yells cramming _Unfogging The Future_ back into her bag. "Fine!" she repeats and swings the bag from her shoulders, almost knocking Ron off his chair. "I give up! I'm leaving!"

Hermione kicks the trapdoor open and climbs down the ladder. The whole class stunned with silence, I begin to chuckle. Glimpsing up I see the rest of the class staring at me with a weird look.

"Must be the after effects of the Cheering Charms we did today in class," I tell them all. The class goes back into whatever they were doing and Ron and Harry talk to one another. My mind goes back to what happened with I was looking in the crystal ball.

'What the hell is going on with me.'

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**A/N: Thank you guys for reading the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!**


	27. Quidditch Final

**A/N: I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! Sorry that it's been a long while that I haven't posted but some serious problems came up. The fact that 7 guys were trying to ask me to prom were'nt helping considering that they all look really good (I'm not that shallow enough to pick the best looking one). Since I am a sophomore and I can't go by myself my senior girl buddy is taking me with her and I promised to hang out with all of them (has this problem ever happened to any of you guys?). I have seen another great movie over the weekend! The Soloist with Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. was absolutely amazing to me (completely random, I know, but I have to put on my favorite movie of the week). Other than that, work and problems and all the other shit have been depriving me from my love of writing both my original story and this fanfic and the others. Enough with my personal life and on with the story! I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Something I shouldn't count of dreaming on...**

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Weeks pass by and time seems to fly by around me as the Quidditch final comes closer and closer. Everything is not exactly back to normal anymore but I don't think going to a school of witchcraft is exactly normal in the first place. The younger Gryffindors suddenly worship me all of a sudden, mainly Colin Creevey. Small scuffles happen around the corridors all the time as the match approaches.

Sitting down on the sofa in the common room accompanied by Hermione, Ron, and strangely Harry, who hasn't thrown me a dirty look so far. I guess everyone's behavior is strange because of the final match tomorrow. I glance at Hermione to see her set down her book with a frustrated sigh.

"I can't work, I can't concentrate," she says nervously. 'Wow, I didn't know Hermione gets so wild up for Quidditch.'

"You're going to be fine," Hermione tells him even though she looks positively terrified.

"You've got a _Firebolt_!" Ron says.

"Yeah…," Harry says, but from the tone of his voice he sounds nervous.

I can sense someone staring at me and I turn in the direction to see Harry looking at me. My eyes narrow very slightly as I observe him, his eyes do not leave mine.

"Team! Bed!" Oliver stands up while yelling the command.

* * *

Both me and Hermione enter the Great Hall the next morning and we sit down in an empty spot at the table. Applause starts to ring in my ears and I swerve around in my seat to see the Gryffindor team coming through the doors. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are also applauding them too. A small smile crawls onto my face. 'Hmm…Maybe I should add a little something.'

Pulling out my wand from my sweater pocket, I point it up at the enchanted ceiling and flick it. Confetti flutters through the air, the colors ranging from red and gold. The cheering gets louder as the confetti falls and the Gryffindor team makes their way towards Hermione and me, Ron with them. I glimpse at the staff table to see that Professor McGonagall is doing nothing to stop this and is simply just eating her food as if nothing is happening.

Oliver starts to urge everyone to eat that's on the team including the boy sitting next to me. 'It's especially odd since this is the first time he's sitting next to me on his own will.'

"Oliver," I call out as he tries to offer a piece a toast to Katie. He looks over at me. "I want to show you something that can definitely win you the Cup."

His eyes are practically glittering as he rushes to me. 'He's like a puppy who's owner just said they'll give them all the doggy treats in the world.'

"What i—" I jam the piece of French toast in his mouth.

"It's called eating for yourself, Oliver," I tell him softly as he begins to chew, his face a little close to mine. He shakes his and instead of being angry, he pulls back nodding his head.

"Your right," he says sounding a little out of breath and grabs one piece of French toast off my plate. "Thanks, Ki."

The others on the Quidditch team stare at me, disbelievingly. I give them a smile.

"Okay, let's head out, everyone," Oliver commands. A hand lands on my shoulder and I look beside me to see Harry looking down on me. His eyes catch mine and he leans a little closer to me.

"Can we talk after the match?" he asks, his voice low. 'It seems he practiced that line.' I keep from laughing at that thought.

"I guess," I reply and behind him I see the rest of the team heading out. "No luck needed for you today. It's a definite you all are going to win."

* * *

My eyes wander over the sea of students wearing gold and red. Waving banners all over the place. I spot Professor Snape with the Slytherins instead of sitting here with the other teachers. The Gryffindor team walks out onto the field and the cheering becomes louder than before.

"And here are the Gryffindors!" Lee Jordan yells from beside me. "Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinner, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years—"

"Boos" emanate from the crowd of Slytherins.

"And here come the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill—"

More boos from the Slytherin crowd.

"Captains, shake hands!," I hear Madam Hooch say. 'I wonder if she still holds me against pushing a first year Slytherin off his broom earlier this year with flying lessons. Honestly, I didn't intend for him to fall off. But he was begging for it…'

The sound of her whistle brings me back and I look at the match. Lee hands me the magical megaphone for the first comment of the match, putting it between us.

"It's Gryffindor's very own Alicia Spinnet with the Quaffle having a clear getaway to the Slytherin goal. Nice job—damn! I mean no, Professor, I meant to say no! Quaffle intercepted by Warrington of Slytherin!" I say and Lee leans closer next to megaphone.

"WHAM!—nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by—Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Angelina—nice swerve around Montague—_duck, Angelina, that's a Bludger!_—SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Angelina punches her arm in the air but Marcus Flint smashes straight into her, nearly knocking her off her broom. Fred chucks his Beater's club straight at the back of Flint's head.

"Good aim, Fred!" I cheer him on through the megaphone as Flint's nose smashes into the handle of his broom and starts to bleed. Professor McGonagall gives me a warning look.

"That will do!" Madam Hooch shrieks, zooming between them and shouts out that both teams have penalty shots. Alicia flies forward to take it.

"Come on, Alicia!" Lee yells into the silence. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Flint flies forward to take the penalty shot for Slytherin.

"'Course Wood's a superb Keeper!" Lee tells the crowd as Flint waits for Madam Hooch's whistle.

"And for all the ladies out there, you've got to admit he is fit," I add in and the girls in the crowd cheer on with the exception of the Slytherin girls. "Don't you think so, Lee?"

"It's hard to say in my view, mate. I'm a guy," Lee says.

"But you do have to admit that he—"

"Black! Pay attention!" Professor McGonagall scolds me and I hear laughter from the crowd. Madam Hooch blows her whistle.

"YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!" Lee yells and the game continues.

"Gryffindor has it, wait Slytherin does. Yes, Katie Bell of Gryffindor snatched the Quaffle. Nice handling Katie! Streaking up the field in a rush. She's about to make it—" my mouth stops talking as and drops open as I see what is happening.

Montague, one of the Slytherin Chasers, swerves in front of Katie. He makes a grab towards her and instead of seizing the Quaffle he grabs her head. 'Son of a bi—'

"THAT WAS DELIBERATE!" Lee shouts into the megaphone. She manages to stay on her broom, but drops the Quaffle. Madam Hooch's whistle rings out again and she starts shouting at Montague. A minute later, Katie puts another penalty past the Slytherin Keeper.

"THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING—"

"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way—!"

"I'm telling it like it is, Professor!"

I nod my head in Lee's defense and give McGonagall a smile.

"It's true. The crowd loves a little side talk every now and then," I tell her and she gives me a reproachful look but dismisses my comment.

A shimmering object catches my eye as it zooms past the stand. I watch as the rider of the Firebolt zooms across the field away from the Snitch and toward the Slytherin end. The large Slytherin Beaters, Derrick and Bole, swing their bats and aim the Bludgers in Harry's direction. Harry moves out of the way in the nick of time as the two blokes collide head on head.

"Hahaa!" I yell into the megaphone. "That's what you get you bunch of big ass baboons!"

"Black!"

"Sorry, Professor! I won't do it again!" I apologize quickly before she tries to grab it from me. Lee laughing beside me at my comment gets back into his position next to me as we both continue on commentating.

"And it's Gryffindor in possession again, as Johnson takes the Quaffle—Flint alongside her—poke him in the eye, Angelina!—it was a joke, Professor, it was a joke—oh no—Flint in possession, Flint flying toward the Gryffindor goal posts, come on now, Wood, save—!"

But Flint scores it; and the Slytherin erupts in cheers. Lee starts to swear so badly beside me that I almost fall off the railing in laughter while Professor McGonagall tries to tug the magical megaphone away from him.

"Sorry, Professor, sorry! Won't happen again! So, Gryffindor in the lead, thirty points to ten, and Gryffindor in possession—"

'This is the most dirtiest type of playing I have ever seen.' Bole hit Alicia with his club and tried to say that he thought it was a Bludger. That must've been the biggest cock and bull I have ever heard. Then George elbowed Bole in the face. Bole and Derrick slam the Bludgers with their clubs aimed at Oliver, giving Gryffindor another penalty shot.

I watch now as Harry streaks upward most likely after the Snitch. But suddenly he slows down and I see why. Malfoy is holding onto the back of the tail of the Firebolt and trying to pull him back.

"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics!" Madam Hooch screeches, shooting up to where Harry and Malfoy are. 'Did I just see what I thought I saw?'

"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Lee howls into the megaphone leaning into me to get away from Professor McGonagall's reach. "YOU FILTHY, CHEATING B—"

"YOU DAMN BASTARD! I'LL KICK YOUR ARSE WHEN YOU TOUCH THE GROUND!" I yell into with Lee and Professor McGonagall just quits as we keep on swearing as badly as we can. Mainly because she's yelling furiously herself. 'I can definitely get used to this side of her.'

Alicia takes the Gryffindor penalty as me and Lee stop swearing, and we begin to commentate. Harry forces the Slytherins to scatter for Angelina to make a clear view shot.

"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES!"

"Gryffindor leads by eighty points to twenty!" I say. I spot Harry as he urges his broom downward towards Malfoy, who's hand is near the Snitch. Harry knocks Malfoy's hand out of the way and I watch as his hand curls around the shimmering golden magical object.

The crowd roars with enthusiasm and Katie, Alicia, Angelina, Wood, Fred, and George speed over to Harry and hug him. They all sink to the ground and the waves of crimson supporters pour out of the barriers onto the field.

"Come on, Ki, let's go!" Lee says grabbing my arm. I give him a small smile.

"I have to tie my shoe. I'll catch up with you guys down there," I tell him. He nods his head and files out with the rest of the teachers, leaving me the only one still in the stands.

Percy sticks out from the crowd below like a sore thumb as he jumps around like the biggest maniac in the world, all his dignity forgotten. And I spot Professor McGonagall crying harder than Oliver. I chuckle to myself the both of them.

"Hello, Kia. I enjoyed your commentating along with Lee's, if I do say so myself," a voice says beside me. Glancing sideways I see Professor Dumbledore standing next to me with the enormous Quidditch Cup in his hands, smile on his face.

"Thank you," I say giving him a smile. "I'm sorry if there was any vulgar usage."

"I momentarily went deaf," he replies. "Have you been experiencing the 'blue-world' as you so call it, more frequently than you have when you first told me?"

"Yes, I have," I reply nodding my head.

"Then I guess it is time for me to allow my assistance for the discovery of your abilities."

I gaze up at him questioningly and taken aback.

"Hold on, this whole time you could've help me?" I ask.

"You may not have gotten to the pages in your mother's later years at school, but I had assisted her then," he tells me. "Think it wise that I will help you for the last week. After exams and through the next years."

Before I can say anything back, I hear the bustling from the stairs and the Gryffindor Quidditch team appears in the stands to take hold of the Cup.

Angelina grabs me into a group hug with Alicia and Katie. They let me go but I am grabbed again by Fred and George, who end up giving me a kiss on the cheek. After they stop harassing me, Oliver grabs me and lifts me off my feet, swinging me around. I can see the tear trails on his face. Hermione and Ron are next to Harry, who are all beaming. Harry tries to make his way over to me but Oliver drags him towards Dumbledore so they can all accept the Cup. Hermione comes over and gives me a small hug along with Ron. After the huge excitement of getting the Cup, we all head to Gryffindor Tower. I sit down with Hermione at our usual sofa.

"Nice commentating, Ki," Ron compliments me.

"I definitely liked the one about Oliver," Katie says.

"So did all the girls," I say with a wink. Oliver turns a little pink, telling me that he overheard.

"Don't be shy, Oliver! Well don't be cocky either, but—no, just don't get bigheaded," I tell him.

"Why couldn't you talk about me," George says.

"Of course she wouldn't want to talk about you! I'm the better looking one," Fred says, combing his hand through his hair and acting like he's posing for a modeling agency.

"I would've done it for you guys, but it is Oliver's last year…," I say.

"I can't believe you tried to make me say it," Lee says.

"Well, you got to admit, Lee," I say, "doesn't he?"

We all turn to look at Oliver who's face has gotten a lot redder.

"Can we get the subject off of my looks and on to something else besides me. How about the way Harry caught the Snitch," Oliver suggests and the subject suddenly swings from him to the Quidditch match. 'Man, he's nonstop Quidditch even after he's won the Cup.' I catch a pair of emerald green eyes glimpsing at me from the seat next to Ron. His eyes travel to the portrait hole and then back at me several times.

'Oh, now I get it.'

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**A/N:** **Thank you all my little crack baby readers! I'm serious that some of the fanfics that I read are like crack to me. I need to keep on reading and it's not even funny, it's actually starting to scare me! Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I might have the next one up soon.**


	28. Trelawney's Prediction

**A/N: OH YEAH AMIGOS (I don't take Spanish so I don't know if I spelled that right)!!!!!!!!!! This has been the most wierdest weekend of my life. I go to this house for our monthly parties and this dog suddenly pops out when these kids open the door to one of the rooms and I didn't know what the hell was going on since I was trying to get some sleep (the dog is huge by the way) and it jumped on me! I used to be frightened of dogs when I was little because I was traumatized when a dog bit me (sadly it was an evil little chihuahua and I still have the scar on my arm to prove it). But this dog, I'm used to but I didn't know it was going to jump on me so I screamed thinking it was some sort of molester (I don't know what I was thinking since these parties are those strict invite things). Completely random. But anyways X-MEN ORIGINS ROCKED! I LOVED EVEERY BIT OF IT! That guy who played Deathpool looks really good.**

**I'd like to thank** **VampireWithTheGoldenEyes****, ****nicklepickle****, ****SiriuslyInLove-X****, ****Rushingriver****, HurricaneRachel, and Hermione'sBFF454** **for reviewing.**

**Anyways let's get with the chapter! We're getting closer!!!!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: Maybe I should sue JK for stealing my ideas...(haha!)**

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"I'm sorry," he mutters.

"What did you say? I can't seem to hear you," I tell him making my tone harsh. Leaning myself against the wall with my arms crossed, a small grin appears on my face as I watch him fidgeting nervously. 'This is actually entertaining…'

He finally looks up, his jet black hair falling into his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he says lowly.

"I seemed to have gained a hearing problem. Can you repeat that?" I ask hiding my grin.

"I'm sorry," he says more loudly and I hear the remorse behind his words. 'I shouldn't stop. I'm enjoying this way too much.'

"What changed your mind? When I didn't try to kill you or when my father _allegedly_ tried to kill me?"

"Same night but before he tried to kill you," Harry says.

"And so you've been trying to talk to me for some time," I say. "And you even brought up the courage to talk to me _alone_. Aren't you afraid that I'm going to try and kill you and then run away with my dad?"

"No," he replies simply.

"Oh really?" I say, whipping out my wand and putting against Harry's throat. "What if I kill you right now?"

"You won't," he states, his emerald eyes looking down at mine. 'Wow he didn't flinch.'

I let out a little laugh, my head tilting back while doing so, and put my wand away.

"Friends?" Harry asks.

"I think so," I reply, beaming at him and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug.

"For a moment there, you looked scary," Harry says in my ear.

"That was the whole point, Harry," I tell him and pull away. We begin to walk towards the portrait hole. "You know what the most sickest thing that was going on in my head?"

"You were enjoying that weren't you, Ki?" Harry says and I see him grinning at me. He gives the password to the Fat Lady.

"You know me too well," I reply and we climb through the portrait hole. "And the next to time you do something that stupid. I _will_ kick your arse."

Weeks pass by and the final exams come even closer. Me and Cedric have been studying together frequently and then I would go and hang around with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Occasionally, I would stop by Lupin's office to visit along with visiting Hagrid. I even saw Fred and George studying though that is because they are going to be taking their O.W.L.s. But the one thought that is not leaving my mind is the fact that Dumbledore is going to be helping me with my powers after exams and that scene in the crystal ball. 'What the bloody hell am I now? A damn Seer? Or did I finally reach the clairvoyant vibes, as Professor Trelawney says. Hmm…I prefer the latter.'

I spot Ron and Harry looking down at a piece of parchment on the table me and Hermione are working on.

"Hermione?" Ron says cautiously, afraid Hermione might go hysterical since she is stressing because the exams are coming closer. "Er—are you sure you've copied down these times right?"

"What?" Hermione snaps, picking up the exam schedule I watch her eyes travel down the parchment. 'She disappeared last time…' "Yes, of course I have."

My eyes narrow as I look at her. She moves her hair and I spot a gold chain around her neck. Times flood back to me of how I would always see her tucking in something after disappearing when I would look for her and one time it was glittering gold. 'That thing around her neck must be allowing her to get everywhere.'

"Is there any point asking how you're going to sit for two exams at once?" Harry says.

"No," Hermione says shortly. "Have either of you seen my copy of _Numerology and Gramatica_?"

"Oh, yeah, I borrowed it for a bit of bedtime reading," I hear Ron saying very quietly so Hermione won't hear. 'What the bloody hell has gotten into everyone? I know before Ron would never read something like _that_.' While Hermione starts looking for the book, I hear a rustling noise at the window and Hedwig flies through with a note clutched tight in her beak.

"It's from Hagrid," Harry says, ripping the note open. "Buckbeak's appeal—it's set for the sixth."

"That's the day we finish our exams," Hermione says, still searching everywhere for her book.

"And they're coming here to do it," Harry says, his eyes still on the letter. "Someone from the Ministry of Magic and—and an executioner."

Hermione finally looks up, startled.

"They're bringing the executioner to the appeal! But that sounds as though they've already decided!"

"It's because they already did, Hermione," I tell her.

"They can't!" Ron howls. "I've spent _ages_ reading up on stuff for him; they just can't ignore it all!"

Standing up I put my piece of parchment between my book.

"Where are you going?" Ron asks me.

"Library," I reply.

"Are you meeting up with Cedric?" Hermione asks me. I shake my head.

"Not today," I say and hurry out of the portrait hole, leaving my things on the table.

'That thing around Hermione's neck is the key to how she's been getting around…'

Walking into the library, Madam Pince's eyes narrow once again as I make my entrance. Among the shelves of books, my finger slides against each one of them as I look through. 'Come on there has to be a book about types of transportations. Yes!'

I grab a book from the shelf and turn around to head to an empty table but I step back as somebody almost bumps into me. Looking up is a handsome black boy. His dark brown eyes looking down at me from his long eyelashes.

"I'm sorry about that," I say excusing myself. 'I think I've seen him before…' "My name's—"

"I know who you are," he says. "You're Black."

"Are you talking about my race or my name?" I ask, slyly. "Because I am part black…"

"Kirsten Black," the boy says, a smirk on his face.

"Oh, so you do know my name," I say. "But I don't know yours."

"Blaise Zabini," he says, his eyes still piercing down on me. I glance down at his uniform. 'Now I know where I've seen him before.'

"Zabini," a voice calls out. Glancing at the corner of my eye I spot the person responsible for Buckbeak's soon-to-be execution.

I turn away from Zabini and begin to walk out of the aisle in Malfoy's direction, the book in my hand.

"How's the big oaf? Is he still moping around about that bloody hippogriff?" Malfoy taunts, Crabbe and Goyle beside him.

"I'm really not in the mood for your rag talking, got it?" I say stopping in front of him.

"You and Potter still in a fight? Was it because your father is Sirius Black?"

'He really needs to know that I'm not in the mood.'

Without any warning, I raise my arm and swing it straight at Malfoy's face. He begins to fall but I suddenly feel myself getting dragged down with him. He hit's the floor and my hands are on both sides of his face. I feel my leg is between his.

"As a matter fact, we made up," I whisper, his face just inches away. I ram my knee into his groin and he groans in pain, his hands immediately touching his private. A small chuckle escapes from my lips at his agony. 'With all this enjoying of others' suffering, I wonder if I belong in Slytherin.' "I warned you, jackass."

"Black!"

I lift my head up to see professors McGonagall and Snape staring down at me and Malfoy, their faces both shocked. 'What the hell are they doing here? Shit. I better make something up quick.'

"What's wrong, Professor?" I ask her. She stretches out her hand.

"What is going on here?" Professor McGonagall says.

"Well, you see," I look down at our position still in the same spot and I smirk at Malfoy. Lifting up my face again, I put on a hopeless expression. "Malfoy tried to pin me down. That's what we call sexual harassment in the Muggle world."

Picking myself up, I see Crabbe and Goyle staring at me with a surprised look. 'They look like giant gorillas that don't know what the hell they are doing.' Zabini has a smirk on his face clear as day. 'I guess he doesn't really think highly of Malfoy. Maybe, even if Zabini is a jerk, I can deal with him.'

"Is this true, Malfoy?" Snape asks.

"No! She punched me!" Malfoy states, still on the ground.

"If I punched you why would I be on the ground with you?" I say, and I look over at the professors.

"Why do you think he's holding his," I say and then whisper, "you-know-what. It's called self-defense."

"Severus, take your students back and I will take Black back to Gryffindor Tower," Professor McGonagall says sternly.

I grab my book and we make our way towards the entrance of the library to see Madam Pince glaring at me. Giving her a big smile, I walk out with Professor McGonagall striding alongside me.

"You hit him," Professor McGonagall says suddenly as we get to the portrait hole. I look over at her. "Twenty points from Gryffindor."

"Detention tonight at the usual time, Professor?" I ask.

"No."

"What?" I ask her looking startled.

"Exams are coming around and you need to study. I am only doing this once because these are your first exams, but if you get yourself in trouble I assure you that I will not let you go," she says and gives the password to the Fat Lady. The portrait hole swings open. "I do not want you anywhere near Malfoy, if you continue to attack him."

'At least I got to slug him. Next on my hit list is…Snape.'

Exam week begins the next day and a sudden hush falls over the entire castle. I am now standing at the South Tower awaiting my turn to climb up with Harry beside me.

"Harry Potter!" Trelawney calls out. I spot Ron climbing down the ladder. He gives Harry some words of encouragement.

"Good luck, Harry," I tell him with a small smile and he gives me a grim one back.

"Thanks," he says and goes up.

"You're going to need it," I mutter, chuckling slightly to myself. I turn to Ron.

"So, how'd it go?" I ask him.

"Rubbish. I made up some stuff since I couldn't see a thing," Ron says and I let out a laugh.

"It's not exactly funny, Ki," Ron says, frowning at me.

"Was she convinced?"

"No," he says dully.

"Well, go catch up with Hermione. I bet she'll cheer you up," I say with a wink and he blushes slightly.

"Shut up," he murmurs and goes away. I climb up the ladder to see Harry getting ready to go down after lifting myself up.

"_IT WIL HAPPEN TONIGHT_." I look past Harry as he whirls around to see where the voice came from. My eyes widen as I look at Professor Trelawney. Her eyes are unfocused her mouth sagging and she is rigid.

"_THE DARK LORD LIES ALONE AND FRIENDLESS, ABANDONED BY HIS FOLLOWERS. HIS SERVANT HAS BEEN CHAINED THESE TWELVE YEARS. TONIGHT, BEFORE MIDNIGHT…THE SERVANT WILL BREAK FREE AND SET OUT TO REJOIN HIS MASTER. HIS MASTER WILL LEARN HE HAD NOT KILLED THE LAST CLIPSE. HE WILL USE THE CLIPSE, THE MOST POWERFUL ONE OF ALL, TO RISE MORE POWERFUL THAN HE WAS BEFORE…TONIGHT…BEFORE MIDNIGHT…THE SERVANT… WILL SET OUT…TO REJOIN…HIS MASTER…_"

Professor Trelawney's head falls forward onto her chest and a grunting noise comes from her, and suddenly her head snaps up again.

"I'm so sorry, my dears," she says dreamily, her voice different from the raspy voice she just used. 'What is going on?' "The heat of the day, you know…I drifted off for a moment."

I just stare at her and obviously so does Harry. Who wouldn't after something like that.

"Is there anything wrong, dears?"

'She has got to be shitting in her robes right now.'

"You—you just told us that the—Dark Lord's going to rise again…that his servant's going to go back to him…," Harry says trailing off.

"And that the he thought he killed the last Clipse but he didn't, and how he'll use the Clipse to rise more powerful than ever," I add.

"The Dark Lord? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? A Clipse that is still alive? After all these years? My dears, that's hardly something to joke about…Rise again, indeed—"

"You just said that though? Do you not remember?" I ask her, narrowing my eyes at her. 'Us? Joking? What the hell is she playing at? She's the one who said it.'

"I think you two must have dozed off," Trelawney says. "I would certainly not presume to predict anything quite as farfetched as that!"

"Now, Kirsten, that was a wonderful crystal gaze. How dementors were surrounding Harry! Now both of you go!" she says dreamily, and marks something on her parchment.

"But I didn't—" I stop myself as she looks at me with a small smile on her face. 'What am I thinking?!' "say have a wonderful day!" I say cheerily and then as quickly as possible, I climb down the ladder. Standing there, I wait for Harry to catch up.

"Harry, I think she really predicted something," I tell him and he nods his head. "When she said Dark Lord, did she mean Voldemort?"

"Yeah," he replies. "Do you know what she meant by a Clipse?"

"No," I reply immediately.

"Well, maybe Hermione will know," Harry says and we both dash towards the common room.

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**A/N: Thank you all for reading! I really appreciate it! I'm thinking about ending the third one on Chapter 30! But if not, oh well. Have a great week guys!**


	29. Knocked Out

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A/N: Hi, everybody! Hi, Dr. Nick! (I still laugh over that line from The Simpsons). It's been a while since I updated because I was and currently am working on putting the finishing touches of this story. This chapter was originally longer (waaaaaay longer about twelve pages) but I decided the other part to be as the next chapter (which I will be posting up tomorrow). I'm in a very dull mood at the moment since I have a couple of tests tomorrow (but school's almost over!!!!!!!!!!! Hell ya, baby!). Hope you all have a great week, with updates almost daily now since I want to get this over with as soon as possible.

**Disclaimer:.............**

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Five minutes later we reach Gryffindor Tower after passing the security trolls. Professor Trelawney's words still resounding in my head. 'Something big is going to happen tonight…' People striding past us in the opposite direction, laughing and joking, heading outside. By the time we enter the common room it's almost deserted, but in the corner is Ron and Hermione.

"Professor Trelawney—" Harry pants, but I just stare at the faces of Ron and Hermione, "just told us—"

He stops abruptly, noticing the expressions they are both wearing.

"Buckbeak lost," Ron says weakly. "Hagrid's just sent us this."

The parchment Hagrid wrote on is dry this time but as I look at the way he wrote it seems that his hand was shaking so much that it looks hardly legible.

_Lost appeal. They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do. Don't come down. I don't want you to see it._

_Hagrid_

'That's no surprise. I knew the decision was going to end like this but that doesn't mean the execution is going to end like they planned.'

"We've got to go," Harry says at once. "He can't just sit there on his own, waiting for the executioner!"

"Sunset, though," Ron says, staring out the window with a glazed look on his face. 'We'd never be allowed…'specially you, Harry…"

I watch as Harry sinks his head into his hands.

"If only we had the Invisibility Cloak…"

"Where is it?" Hermione asks. Harry tells both of us about how he left it in the passageway under the one-eyed witch.

"…if Snape sees me anywhere near there again, I'm in serious trouble," he finishes. 'That's why Snape was all over him when he called me and Remus to his office.'

"That's true," Hermione says, getting to her feet. "If he sees _you_."

She looks over at me. "Come and show me, Ki."

I glance at Hermione, curiously and I start to let out a smile. Getting up we exit the common room, leaving Ron and Harry startled.

We both enter the common room again; Hermione carrying the carefully folded silvery cloak under her robes.

"Hermione, I don't know what's gotten into you lately!" Ron says, astounded. "First you hit Malfoy, then you walk out on Professor Trelawney—"

"I'm beginning to think you have something to do with all this. Influence wise, I mean," Harry mutters to me as I watch the flattered look crossing Hermione's features.

After dinner and the increasingly annoying glares that I have been receiving from the Slytherin table (Parkinson and her gang have been staring me down all week after Parkinson tried to curse me from behind but Professor Spout witnessed her do it, so she has a whole week of detention), we skulk off into an empty chamber.

Footsteps hurrying across the corridor, I lean my head against the wall. _Thump, thump. Thump, thump._ I wince as the sound of multiple heartbeats course through my head. My head throbbing painfully with the fact that three heartbeats pounding are slightly louder than the rest passing through the corridors. The other heartbeats begin to fade but it is still in the back round. I feel my arm being yanked, but the beating still doesn't stop. 'At least it's not my vision again.'

"Ki, what's wrong?" I hear Ron ask on top of the pounding.

"Nothing. It's only a headache. I'll meet you up at Hagrid's," I tell them.

"You—"

"I'm definitely sure," I interrupt. "Go! Quick!"

Rustling meets my ears and the three heartbeats soon begin to fade. I place my hand on the floor and pick myself up as the light pounding continues. I steadily walk down the corridor, my feet shaking slightly. 'It's so hard walking like this!'

Three heartbeats begin to get louder as I walk down the corridor. Two of the three are similar to me in some way. I've heard them already. The third one is foreign and similar. 'I've heard this before…'

Placing my hand on top of my chest, the pulsating heart continues to move in the same rhythmic pattern as the physical one in my chest. 'It's me.'

I look around the corridor completely confused until I see a pair of brown chocolate eyes staring at me through a crack at a broom closet. 'She must've used it.'

The heartbeats soon stop and I sigh in relief, but I sway tiredly. 'That was the longest one so far!'

Continuing down the corridor I turn my head to see the door to the broom closet shut completely. 'I don't think I can make it to Hagrid's without fainting.' Stealthily, I walk outside and instead of heading down to Hagrid's, I stick close to the walls of the castle and sit down on the grass not far from the castle steps. Looking out at Hagrid's home with the Whomping Willow not too far.

I watch as the wind blows making the long branches of the Whomping Willow follow the wind and then it swishes more violently on its own free will. Taking in a deep breath I lean my head back and look out. Some minutes pass and I spot three figures running, one in front of the other two by a distance. The last one looks back and finally meets my gaze and I let out a smile. He runs further and much faster towards the second and they make it into the Forbidden Forest.

Around five minutes pass when I hear voices talking to one another. Passing by me, only a couple of meters away is Professor Dumbledore, Fudge, a feeble old man, and another man with a sharpened axe hooked onto his side. 'Executioner must be that man, Macnair, Malfoy told us about. He definitely looks like a _close buddy _of the Malfoys.'

None of them notice me sitting as they trot to Hagrids. 'I know they're old but they can't be _that_ old not to see me.' Dumbledore's head turns around and his twinkling eyes meet mine. I spot a crooked smile forming on his lips as he turns back around.

'Okay, never mind. But I think Dumbledore's gone mad if he didn't even tell me to go back inside.'

Minutes pass until I hear voices that unmistakably sound like Ron, Hermione, and Harry's. A familiar squealing noise meet my ears. I hear a wild howling from afar. 'Hagrid.'

"Scabbers, keep still," I hear Ron hiss. "What's the matter with you, you stupid rat? Stay still—OUCH! He bit me!"

But I cannot see them anywhere.

"Ron, be quiet!" Hermione whispers urgently. "Fudge'll be out here in a minute—"

"He—won't—stay—put—"

"What's the _matter_ with him?"

Not being able to see them since they must still be underneath the Invisibility Cloak, I look over at _Scabbers_'s problem. Crookshanks' yellow eyes can be seen from where I'm sitting and the very last rays of the setting sun is soon gone.

"Crookshanks!" I hear Hermione moan. "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"

But I see the cat getting nearer. 'That's where they are.'

"Scabbers—NO!"

My eyes catch a rat hit the ground from out of nowhere and scamper away. Crookshanks springs after him and Ron is now in my line of sight.

"_Ron_!" Hermione groans. Both her and Harry sprint towards Ron who is sprawled on the ground with Scabbers in his back pocket. Soft pounding catches my attention and not far from me is an enormous, jet-black dog bounding towards them. Silver glinting off it's neck I realize it's the same dog that I met when I left the orphanage.

'Sirius.'

The enormous dog leaps and hits Harry square on his chest with his front paws. He pounces off of Harry and goes after Ron who is on his feet. The dog's jaw fastens around Ron's outstretched arm and Harry lunges forward seizing a handful of Sirius' hair, but he still keeps dragging Ron away easily.

The outline of large branches heading in different directions catches my attention. 'Shit! The Whomping Willow!' I get up as I see Harry and Hermione get hit forgetting how fatigued I am.

Sprinting full on in Hermione's direction as my eyes take in the large branch ready to hit her in the slow motion state, I immediately shove her down. I roll off of her and get up but bend my back as a branch makes its way towards me.

'That was close.'

Harry's outline not far from me, I spot an enormous branch is about to hit him.

"Harry! Get down!" I yell and he gets down. Too quickly for me to react the large branch swings around this time much faster and it collides against my stomach. The pain only lasting seconds as my eyes roll back and everything is black.

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**A/N: Thank you! I hope you all enjoyed it!**


	30. The Servant of Lord Voldemort

**A/N: It's Friday and it's a loooooooooong weekend. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Sure...yes...no...maybe...yeah!**

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Something soft brushes past my face, trailing along my body. It stops at my leg an—

"Ow!" My body instantly shoots up and causes my head to throb. "Shit!"

Everything floods back to me. I look down at the soft fur ball on my lap. He meows at me and nudges his head. Seeing my surroundings I notice that I am back at my original hiding spot. 'How hard did the damn tree hit me?'

"Thanks for biting me," I mutter sarcastically. Ignoring the pain and how tired I am, I pick myself up off the ground and the ground I am standing on starts spinning. Putting a hand to my head, I feel a bumpy and sticky substance. 'Blood.' The night sky is covered with clouds, hiding the stars and the moon. Wisps of my hair flutter around my face as the wind blows. A creaking noise reaches my ears and I look over at the Whomping Willow, whose branches are swaying back and forth.

The ginger fur ball heads towards the tree and gets closer.

"Crookshanks, I don't—"

The creaking noise stops suddenly. The branches stop moving. All in all, the tree just froze. Crookshanks' yellow eyes peer at me from the base of the trunk it's paws still on the knot. He slinks over to a large hole at the trunk. 'Didn't Fred and George say something about how a passage was covered by the Whomping Willow?'

With a flick of his bottlebrush tail, Crookshanks slides into the hole. Crawling in after him, a very low tunnel is what I meet next. Crookshanks leads me on through the tunnel, going as fast as I can. My head spinning at moments but I shake it off. After what seems like forever, the tunnel begins to rise and twist, and Crookshanks is soon out of my sight. A patch of dim light causes me to squint from all the complete darkness.

Pulling myself out of the hole, I take in the room before me. 'Oh damn.' A very disordered and dusty room is where I am. Broken pieces of furniture littering the floor with blotchy stains joining them, and the paper peeling from the wall. I survey the windows as I see them boarded up with wood. 'I'm in the Shrieking Shack.'

My eyes land upon a broken mirror. Fragments chipped off and lying on the floor, I look at my reflection. Bangs strewn across my face covering my eyes, I move them aside. 'Do I look like a bloody zombie.' Running from the temple down to my chin is a large cut which is continuing to let a little amount of blood out. Blood stains covering parts of my face and a trail of blood running from my mouth. Letting go of my hair it falls back into place. 'No wonder I feel so woozy!'

BANG!

I turn at the noise and I notice an open door leading to a shadowy hallway. I follow the voices and stop several feet in front of the doorway. A curtain of black hair belonging to the man in front of me.

"But—if there was a mistake—"

"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape shouts causing a headache to form. "DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" I see a few sparks popping from the wand in his hand which he is pointing to someone else in the room.

"Vengeance is very sweet," Snape breathes, staring in the direction where his wand is pointing. "How I hoped I would be the one to catch you…"

"The joke's on you again, Severus," a man's voice snarls. "As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle I'll come quietly…."

"Up to the castle?" Snape says silkily. "I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black…pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay…."

Rage works up inside of me as those words leave Snape's lips. 'Not under my damn watch!'

"You—you've got to hear me out," Sirius croaks, and I hear how weaker his voice got. "The rat—look at the rat—"

"Come on, all of you," he says and I hear a clicking of fingers. "I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the dementors will have a kiss for him too—"

I hear footsteps pounding making the floor creak.

"Get out of the way, Potter, you're in enough trouble already," Snape snarls. "If I hadn't been here to save your skin—"

"Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year," Harry says. "I've been alone with him loads of times having defense lessons against the dementors. If he was helping Black, why didn't he just finish me off then?"

"Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works," Snape hisses. "Get out of the way, Potter!"

"YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Harry yells. "JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN—"

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" Snape shrieks, and I move closer to the doorway. "Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee! You would have been well served if he'd killed you! You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black—now get out of the way, or I will _make you_. GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER!"

I step forward, my foot sinks into the floor creating a creaking noise. Snape whirls around his wand pointing to me.

"_Stu_—"

A red light begins to form at the wand and my hand instinctively wraps around his wrist and I yank it in the opposite direction resulting in a loud crack. My other hand forming into a fist and I swing it right in his face. He flies further into the room and his body collides with an dusty dresser. A trickle of blood oozes from under his hair. Turning his body over I check his wrist. 'Broken.'

"Bastard," I say, staring down at him.

"Kia!" Hermione says, shocked. "You attacked a teacher…you attacked a teacher…."

Looking up at all of them, Hermione gasps as her eyes meet mine.

"What happened? Are you alright?" she asks hurriedly.

"Whomping Willow," I reply tediously. I see Remus struggling to get out of his bonds. Reaching in my pocket for my wand I pull it out and give it a wave. The bonds untie themselves and fall limply to the ground.

"How'd you get here?" Harry asks me, curious.

"Crookshanks," I reply.

"Thank you, Kia," Remus says. He looks over at me and then his eyes travel to the man a couple of meters away from me. The very same steely grey eyes stare at me.

"Sirius, this is your—"

"Daughter, I've seen her a couple of times this year, Remus," his hoarse voice croaks out but his eyes never leave my face. "Thank you…"

I nod my head not really paying attention since my eyes are on Ron who is lying on a bed his leg sprawled in abnormal position with Hermione next to him. Harry next to her. My eyes travel back and forth to all of them.

"What the hell is going on?" I ask slowly.

"They're saying that Scabbers is Peter Pettigrew," Harry says and all of them watch me carefully.

"Really?" I ask mildly, with an eyebrow raised looking over at the wriggling rodent in Ron' hands.

"And I still don't believe you," he says to Remus and Sirius.

"Then it's time we offered you some proof," Lupin says. "You boy—give me Peter, please. Now."

Ron clutches Scabbers closer to his chest.

"Come off it," Ron says weakly. "Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on _Scabbers_? I mean…" He looks at Hermione, Harry and me for support, "Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat—there are millions of rats—how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question," Remus says, turning to Sirius and frowning slightly. "How _did_ you find out where he was?"

Sirius puts one of his hands inside his robes and takes out a crumpled piece of paper, which he smoothens out and holds it up for us.

'It's the photograph with Ron and his family! When they were in Egypt!'

"How did you get this?" Remus asks, thunderstruck.

"Fudge," Sirius says. "When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page…on this boy's shoulder…I knew him at once…how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going to back Hogwarts…to where Harry was…"

"My God," Lupin says softly, staring from Scabbers picture in the paper and back again. "His front paw…"

"What about it?" Ron asks defiantly. 'It looks disgusting, that's what.'

"He's got a toe missing," Lupin breathes. "So simple…so _brilliant_…he cut it off himself?"

"Just before he transformed," Sirius says. "When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself—and sped down into the sewer with the other rats…."

"Didn't you ever hear, Ron?" Remus says. "The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."

"Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages—"

"Twelve years, Ron," I say and everyone looks over at me. "Around the same time _Pettigrew _was so called _dead_. Haven't you ever wondered why he's been living so long?"

"Don't tell me you're siding with them now?" Ron asks.

"I've sided with Sirius the moment I figured everything out months ago," I tell them.

"What did you figure out exactly?" Harry asks looking over at me.

"When I volunteered to help Ron seeing what was wrong with Scabbers. I've found out some odd things about him. I was also trying to find proof to see Sirius innocent. Nothing made sense of what Fudge said after I started breaking down word for word. If Sirius blew the entire street then there wouldn't be a shred of Pettigrew left. I was so certain that even Cedric helped me out, too. I'm not the only one who knows you're innocent," I say looking over at him, then I turn to look over at Remus.

"Do you still have that parchment I dropped you?" I ask him. He nods his head and reaches inside his robes. I catch Harry raising his wand from the corner of my eye resulting in Remus stopping his movements. I put my hand on Harry's raised arm. He does nothing to remove my hand and instead I feel him slightly loosen.

"Do you trust me?" I ask lowly. His green eyes glance down at me revealing that he does and his arm starts to lower as I bring it down slowly. "I swear I will never let you or anyone else I care for get hurt. That includes everyone in this room."

"Everyone?" I hear Ron asking from the bed staring past me with an eyebrow raised. I let a smirk come across my face and let out a hollow chuckle.

"Well, I can say there're a couple that I don't," I reply looking straight at the vile rodent in Ron's hand and then look back at Harry.

"Thank you," I tell him. Remus digs in his robes and pulls out the piece of parchment. I walk over to him and hand it over to Hermione. Her eyes dart across the paper at an amazingly fast speed. Her eyes getting larger and larger with each passing. Finally, she looks up and stares straight at me.

"In a completely mad and twisted way," she breathes out, "this makes sense."

"What is it, Hermione?" Ron asks shifting in the bed, careful not to move his broken leg.

"It's the recorded observations that she was doing with Scabbers. And on top of that are notes comparing the situations with…" she looks up to see everyone staring intently at her.

"Sirius," I say and glance at Ron. "I hope you know that Scabbers has been in pretty bad shape."

"That's because of that mad cat!" Ron says, pointing at Crookshanks.

"This can't isn't mad," Sirius says hoarsely. "He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me…Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me…"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asks.

"He tried to bring Peter to me, but he couldn't…so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me…As I understand it, he took them from a boy's bedside table….

"But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it…" Sirius says. "This cat—Crookshanks, did you call him?—told me Peter had left blood on the sheets….I supposed he bit himself….Well, faking his own death had worked once…."

"And why did he fake his death?" Harry says suddenly, and I hear the tone of his voice change. "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"

"No," Lupin says, trying to calm him down. "Harry—"

"And now you've come to finish him off!"

'Now there's one thing I absolutely do not like about Harry. He does not listen to what people have to say first and then conclude it in his own head. Honestly, it's called _LISTENING!_'

"Yes, I have," Sirius says, glaring at Scabbers. 'And it's like this one is some type of mass murdering psychopath…'

"Then I should've let Snape take you!" Harry shouts.

"Harry," Lupin says hurriedly, "don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down—but it was the other way around, don't you see? _Peter_ betrayed your mother and father—Sirius tracked _Peter_ down—"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Harry yells, furious. "HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP. HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump_. A struggling gasp escapes my lips as complete pain fills my head and my legs buckle but I keep from falling. I close my eyes. 'Hold it in. You can't make yourself fa—'

Instead of seeing nothing but the inside of my eyelids seven outlined white figures are around me. The pain begins to ebb away but not completely since my head is still throbbing. In the same positions as the entire group in the room except for a new outlined figure cowering in front of two others. 'What the hell?'

Snapping open my eyes the heartbeats immediately stop. 'Holy shit! I can _see_ with my eyes closed!' Before me is a simpering man. Creases of fear drawn across his face. His watery eyes twitching as he looks on at me with his unkempt and colorless hair which has a bald patch on top. The nose on his face, pointed, reminding me of a rat. 'Peter Pettigrew.'

"Kirsten! Beautiful Kirsten! You—won't let them…please, help me…" he cries out crawling towards me and now arms fling around my legs. My eyes roll back but I blink my eyes rapidly. I begin to sway and I suddenly feel a tug on my robes and a plea causing me to fall back, closing my eyes. 'Might as well let myself get knocked out. I'm pretty damn tired.' A pair of arms stops me from falling.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!" I hear Sirius yell.

"Harry…Harry…you look just like your father…just like him…."

'The voice is near…that must mean Harry is the one holding me.'

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY!" Sirius roars. "HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"

I open my eyes slightly to what is going on.

"Harry," Pettigrew whispers, shuffling towards us with his hands outstretched. "Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed….James would have understood, Harry…he would have shown me mercy…."

Pushing myself off of Harry's hold, he puts a hand on my shoulder as both Sirius an Remus stride forward, seize Pettigrew's shoulders, and throw him backward onto the floor.

Twitching with terror on the floor, he stares up at them.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," Sirius says, and I notice he is also shaking. "Do you deny it?"

Pettigrew bursts into tears. 'Oh my God. This is the worst thing I've ever seen…'

"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord…you have no idea…he has weapons you can't imagine….I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen….He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me—"

"DON'T LIE!" Sirius bellows. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"

"He—he was taking over everywhere!" Pettigrew gasps. "Wh—what was there to be gained by refusing him?" "What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" Sirius says, completely furious. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"

"You don't understand!" Pettigrew whines. "He would have killed me, Sirius!"

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" Sirius roars. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

Standing shoulder to shoulder, Sirius and Remus, raise their wands.

"You should have realized," Remus says quietly, "if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter."

"NO!" Harry yells from beside me. 'Really, now? We're all in one room. STOP YELLING!' Hand leaves my shoulder and he races towards them ending up in front of Pettigrew, allowing the wands to point at him. "You can't kill him," he says breathlessly. "You can't."

"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents," Sirius snarls. "This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."

"I know," Harry pants. I stifle my laughter. "We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the dementors….He can go to Azkaban…but don't kill him."

"Harry!" Pettigrew gasps, flinging his arms around Harry's knees. "You—thank you—it's more than I deserve—thank you—"

"Get off me," Harry spits, throwing Pettigrew's hands off him in disgust. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because—I don't reckon my dad would've wanted them to become killers—just for you."

I watch on in silence as Pettigrew is the only one making sounds, clutching his chest. I catch the glance between Sirius and Remus, and they lower their wands.

"You're the only person who has the right to decide, Harry," Sirius says. "But think…think what he did…"

'Or what he will do.' Something in the back of my mind comes at me, making me feel that something's going to go horribly wrong.

"He can go to Azkaban," Harry repeats. "If anyone deserves that place, he does…"

'But what if he escapes…he won't be going to Azkaban…he'd be going to…'

"Kill him," I mutter, but too loudly as I notice everyone in the room staring at me.

"Kill who? Me? But I thou—"

"Harry, something's not right. Some—"

"Harry—Harry sai—"

My eyes meet his form with a glare.

"Shut up!" I hiss threateningly. As those words escape my lips, Pettigrew's body is suddenly flown back and he hit's the wall _hard_. He begins whimpering again as he rubs his balding head. His eyes nervously glancing at me. I feel all the curious gazes on me.

"Kia—"

"Ask questions later," I say abruptly and then I meet Harry's eyes. "Are you sure?"

Harry nods his head. 'He's going to break free. He was meant to break free. Professor Trelawney predicted it.'

"Very well," Remus says. "Stand aside, Harry."

Harry looks hesitant.

"I'm going to tie him up," Remus says. "That's all, I swear."

Harry steps out of the way and thin cords shoot out of Remus' wand, and a moment later, Pettigrew is wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged.

"But if you transform, Peter," Sirius growls, his own wand pointing at Pettigrew too, "we _will_ kill you. You agree, Harry?"

Harry nods, after looking at the pitiful figure lying on the floor. 'He's going to transform.'

"Right," Remus says, suddenly businesslike. "Ron, I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey, so I think it's best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing."

He hurries over to Ron, and bandages up his leg.

"That's better," he says. "Thanks."

"What about Professor Snape?" Hermione asks in a small voice, looking down at his body.

"There's nothing seriously wrong with him," Remus says, bending over Snape and checking his pulse. "Kia was just a little—well plenty enthusiastic actually. Still out cold. Er—perhaps it will be best if we don't revive him until we're safely back in the castle. We can take him like this…."

With Ron volunteering to be chained up with Pettigrew along with Remus. We all finally head back and inside the tunnel. Myself standing next to Hermione. I can hear Sirius talking to Harry as we crawl through the tunnel. Deciding not to pay attention, I make a bit of talk with Hermione. We come closer towards the end of the tunnel. Harry exits after Sirius and I let Hermione go ahead of me.

Climbing out of the hole, I look around seeing that the grounds are completely dark. My head gazes up towards the sky. The colorless clouds covering the stars. 'Is there a moon tonight?'

My question is suddenly answered as a cloud shifts, bathing us all in the moonlight.

"Full moon," I mutter, and I glance over at the three who are chained together.

'So this is how Pettigrew escapes.'

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chaptter! Thank you guys for reading!**


	31. Dementor's Kiss

**A/N: J'ai sorti avec mes amis hier soir. Nous** **sommes—why the hell am I typing in French? No wait, so I was typing in French to my friends on facebook by accident and they were like ".....you need some help" and I have no shame to admit that I do need help. I think we all need help. Anyways school's about to be out of session and I am definitely not liking it because of exams but I'm liking because of the summer. Movies that I saw and were pretty damn good were....wait I haven't seen a movie in a gajillion years because I am GROUNDED!! NOOOOO!! (I never get grounded from the computer but i do get grounded from going out) **

**All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek amy~ Brittany Spears (If You Seek Amy)**

**That song had me in complete laughter mode when I listened to it and my friends were like "What is she saying?" and I was like "Are you serious?" I personally think Brittany is a genius with what she is doing. In my opinion, that whole crazy act was just a gig that her and her publy got together so then she can have a comeback (not saying that all she did was exactly a play. Some of it could be her. But this is my opinion). And I'd like to say that that tune is pretty catchy...**

**Thank you Wunmiii and ****BFFofCrazyShopoholicPixe-Alice** **formerly known as Hermione'sBFF454 for reviewing. I appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: I own the world...**

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Moving out beside Hermione, I see Remus' rigid silhouette and suddenly his limbs start to shake.

"Oh, my—" Hermione gasps. "He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!"

"Run," Sirius whispers. "Run. Now."

But my feet are rooted to the ground as I glance over at the chained Ron and Pettigrew. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Sirius catches Harry around the chest and throws him back.

"Kia, we have to go," Hermione mutters frightened.

"Leave it to me—RUN!"

A terrible snarling noise erupts as Remus' head begins to lengthen. His shoulders hunching and from what I can see is hair visibly sprouting on both his face and hands, which are curling into clawed paws.

Snapping its long jaws, the werewolf rears and wrenches itself free of the manacles binding it. An enormous, bearlike dog bounds forward and seizes the werewolf by the neck and pulls it backward, away from Ron and Pettigrew. Both of them are locked now, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other—

A scream reaches my ears and I whirl around to see Pettigrew diving for Remus' dropped wand. Ron falls on his bandaged leg. 'No!'

A loud bang, and a flash of light—and Ron lays motionless on the ground. Another bang reaches my ears—and Crookshanks flies into the air and back to the earth in a heap. 'When I need my abilities the most it doesn't even come to me, dammit!'

"_Expelliarmus!_" Harry yells, pointing his wand at Pettigrew; Remus' wand flies high into the air and out of sight. "Stay where you are!" Harry shouts, running forward.

Peter's figure suddenly disappears. 'Dammit! Where the hell is he? I need to know where the hell he is!'

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump._ All around me are the vibrant shades of blue. Ignoring the sharp pain as best I can, one beating heart fills my head. One small outlined figure is all I pay my attention to. It's little feet scurrying away from the scene. He's done it once and he might as well do it again. 'Not this time.'

Running after the small figure in the insanely vibrating world that I am in, I feel my body shaking—

WHAM!

Sharp claws sink into my skin and I bite my lip to keep from making any noise as my body soars. Opening my eyes, instead of the vibrant blue world, vicious pupils stare back at me.

Screaming reaches my ears.

'Oh shit.'

I can feel myself begin to fall, with the excess amount of weight on top of me. His snout closer to my face than necessary; jaws opening widely revealing sharp edged teeth. My eyes suddenly take in his movements as he snaps towards my head and I move it quickly to the side.

Panicking, I wrap my arms around his hunched back and turn myself over making him take the blow as we hit the ground. I let go and roll off as quick as possible and see him sprinting full on towards me. He leaps at me, puncturing my stomach this time.

Bringing my knee up, it slams underneath his jaw hard enough to make him back off for a moment to catch my breath. Breathing frantically, I watch as the werewolf leaps at me. Something abruptly pulls me back and the leaping werewolf is suddenly sent flying in the opposite direction as me.

My hand lands in a cool liquid, splashing a bit in my face from the impact. 'Water.'

My head throbs in complete pain. A thick substance meets my lips while black begin to cover my vision. Dread fills my senses as a cold feeling seeps through into my body. Black dots begin to form circles around me and my eyelids lower; my hand feels frozen.

Cold clammy hands encircle around my neck and a cold shiver runs down my spine and my eyelids finally lower to a close.

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**A/N: Can we sayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy D.E.M.E.N.T.O.R!!!!!!!!! Thank you for reading this chapter and I hope you enjoyed it!**


	32. Hermione's Secret

**A/N: Hey!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry it's been a while that's what summer vacation does to you when you're going places. BUT here I am now giving you all one hell of a long chapter to make up for it. If there are any mistakes (which there definitely will be) and you don't understand what it means then message me and I'll say. This may be boring due to....sorry my brain stopped and I can't really think. So I'll leave it at that!**

**Thank you to all my amazing reviewers! And I understand that one of my reviewers asked why was the previous chapter called Dementor's Kiss and that's because at the end it was a dementor but if you still have questions about that just ask ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own this....Harry Potter business except my OC and the idea of Clipses.**

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"What amazes me most is the behavior of the dementors. You've really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?"

"No, Minister…by the time I had come 'round they were heading back to their positions at the entrances…."

"Extraordinary. And yet both Blacks, Harry, and the girl—"

"All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers, and brought them all straight back to the castle."

My body shifts against the soft and warm material as a low groan escapes my lips. Opening my eyes, I see an untouched bed and I shift myself on the other side to see another untouched also. I lift my head a bit to see three of the beds being occupied and let it drop back on my pillow.

"And what about her, Snape. Do you really think she was confunded? She may have not been at all, you know. And helped her father which is enough to earn her a kiss," I hear Fudge say lowly. 'He's really out to get me, but I'm not surprised after he made a fool out of himself.'

"I am most definitely sure that she was confunded, Minister," Snape says firmly. From across the ward, I see Harry sitting up.

"Potter, it's okay…They've got Black. He's locked away upstairs. The dementors will be performing the kiss any moment now—"

"WHAT?"

In the next second, Fudge and Snape rush into the ward while I sit up from my bed silently watching the scene folding before me.

"Harry, Harry, what's this?" Fudge says, looking agitated. "You should be in bed—has he had any chocolate?" he asks Madam Pomfrey anxiously.

"Minister, listen!" Harry says. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's—"

But I watch Fudge as he just shakes his head with a **knowing **small smile on his face.

"Harry, Harry, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control…."

'It's even worse to hear that complete faggot when _he _is the one who doesn't know the truth.'

"YOU HAVEN'T!" Harry yells. "YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

"Minister, listen, please," Hermione says, hurrying to Harry's side and gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and—"

"You see, Minister?" Snape says. "Confunded, both of them….Black's done a very good job on them…."

"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" Harry roars.

"Minister! Professor!" Madam Pomfrey says angrily. "I must insist that you leave. Potter is my patient, and he should not be distressed!"

"I'm not distressed. I'm trying to tell them what happened!" Harry yells. "If they'd just listen—"

But Madam Pomfrey suddenly stuffs a large chunk of chocolate in Harry's mouth and while his shock (choking), she takes the opportunity to shove him back on his bed.

'Wonder where my chocolate is…'

Looking around at the bedside table, I spot a large slabs of chocolate broken into pieces. I reach out for one and take a bite of it.

"Now, _please_, Minister, these children need care. Please leave—"

The door to the hospital wing swing open once again and in walks Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black—"

"For heaven's sake!" Madam Pomfrey cries out hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist—"

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. Potter, Miss Black, and Miss Granger," Dumbledore says calmly. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black—"

"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in Potter's mind?" Snape spits. "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive—"

"That, indeed, is Black's story," Dumbledore says, and I watch as he observes Snape closely through his half-moon spectacles.

"And does my evidence count for nothing?" Snape snarls. "Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds."

"That's because I knocked your ass out cold, Professor," I speak up and everyone looks in my direction as I pop another piece of chocolate into my mouth.

"Do you not have any respect for your—" Fudge starts to say.

"Don't talk to me about respect. I'm not the cold hearted bitch who tries to send little girls kisses by dementors," I interrupt sending him a little smirk. "Note for yourself; don't talk about the girl while standing in front of the infirmary."

"You will not—" "I would like to speak to Kia, Harry, and Hermione alone," Dumbledore abruptly cuts Fudge off. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy—please, leave us."

"Headmaster!" Madam Pomfrey says. "They need treatment, they need rest—"

My lips twitch as Madam Pomfrey, with pursed lips, strides away into her office. Fudge glances at the large gold pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat.

"The dementors should have arrived by now," he says and glimpses at me. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

He crosses towards the door and holds it open for Snape, but Snape stays put. Instead, he steps forward to Dumbledore.

"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," he breathes. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"

My eyes land on Harry and Hermione, and I note that they do not seem surprised. 'I guess they probably know something about that.'

"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," Dumbledore says quietly.

With that, Snape turns on his heel and marches through the door Fudge is still holding and it closes behind them. Moving aside the covers, I get off the bed and walk over to them.

"Professor, Black's telling the truth—we saw Pettigrew—"

"—he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf—"

"—he's a rat—"

"—Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut if off—"

"—Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius—"

Dumbledore holds his hand up to stop the flood of explanations coming from Harry and Hermione.

"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time," he says in a low voice. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word—the word of two thirteen year olds and a fourteen year old will not convince anybody. A street full of eye witnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret Keeper."

"Professor Lupin can tell you—" Harry says.

'Didn't Dumbledore tell him to shut up?'

"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will be too late, Sirius would be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little—and the fact that he and Sirius were old friends—"

"But—"

"_Listen to me Harry_. It is too late, you understand me? You must see that Professor Snape's version of events is far more convincing than yours."

"He hates Sirius," Hermione says desperately. "All because of some stupid trick Sirius played on him—"

'Oh, so they do know about why Snape hates him enough to give him to the dementors.'

"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man. The attack on the Fat Lady—entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife—without Pettigrew, dead or alive, we have no chance of overturning Sirius's sentence."

"But you believe us."

'Of course he does.'

"Yes, I do," Dumbledore says quietly once more. "But I have no power to make other men see truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic…."

'He's way too modest. I bet a hundred Galleons that he can kick Fudge out of office and be Minister of Magic himself.'

As I stare up into his grave face, his light blue eyes meet mine.

"What we need," he says slowly, and his eyes move from mine to Hermione, "is more _time_."

I look over at Hermione with a light smile.

"But—" Hermione begins. And then her eyes become round. "OH!"

"Now, pay attention," Dumbledore says, speaking very low and very clearly. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the west tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, all of you: _you must not be seen_. Miss Granger, you know the law—and I assume you do too, Kia—you both know what is at stake…. _You_—_must_—_not_—_be_—_seen_."

As Dumbledore reaches the door he looks back at us.

"I am going to lock you in. It is—" he consults his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

"Good luck?" Harry repeats as the door closes behind Dumbledore. "Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"

I pull Harry closer as I notice Hermione taking out the fine, long gold chain from beneath her robes. A tiny sparkling hourglass hanging from her chain.

"Here—"

She throws the chain around our necks also.

"Ready?" she asks breathlessly.

"Yeah," I reply, but the expression on Harry's face shows us how lost he is on this.

"What are we doing?" Harry asks. She turns the hourglass over three times. The dark ward dissolves and I have the sensation of flying extremely fast and backwards. The blurs of colors and shapes rush past all of us, my ears pounding—

Solid ground is what I feel beneath my feet and everything becomes focused again.

Standing next to Harry and Hermione, I regard my surroundings. A stream of golden sunlight falls across the paved floor from the open front doors of the deserted hallway. The chain cuts into my neck and I see Harry looking wildly around at Hermione and me. Ducking my head so the chain falls out of my neck, a hand grips my arm and yanks me into a cupboard causing me to land in a rather large bucket.

"No need to yank, 'Mione," I mutter rubbing my arm while my feet dangle from my uncomfortable sitting position.

"What—how—what happened?"

"We've gone back in time," Hermione whispers. "Three hours back…."

"But—"

"Shh! Listen! Someone's coming! I think—I think it might be us!"

I see Hermione's outline get closer to the door.

"Footsteps across the hall…yes, I think it's us going down to Hagrid's!"

"Are you telling me," Harry whispers, "that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?"

"Yes," Hermione says and I can see her ear against the door. "I'm sure it's us—well, excluding you, Ki. It doesn't sound like more than three people…and we're walking slowly because we're under the Invisibility Cloak—"

She breaks off, listening.

"We've gone down the front steps…."

Hermione sits down on an upturned bucket and from how she's moving, she's anxious.

"Where did you _get_ that hourglass thing?" Harry asks.

"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispers, "and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything except my studies….I've been turning back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see? But…."

"_I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do._ Why did he tell us to go back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"

I stare at the door where the dim light beams through from the bottom, and I smile at them.

'The sun's been setting by now.'

"Dumbledore said that we can save two lives tonight. He gave us the window that belongs to the room Sirius is being held in," I say slowly and then push myself out of the bucket. "I'm thinking Buckbeak."

"We rescue Buckbeak first and then fly up to Flitwick's room and rescue Sirius! Sirius can escape on Buckbeak!" Harry finishes off rather excited. We both look at Hermione and from what I can see she looks quite terrified.

"If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!"

"I guess that's what we're going to do then," I say and Harry stands up and presses his ear against the door.

"Doesn't sound like anyone's there….Come on, let's go…."

Hermione pushes open the closet door but freezes and I hear her take in a sharp breath. Seconds pass, and she quickly and quietly closes the door.

"What is it?" Harry asks and then it dawns on me what she finally saw.

"She saw me," I tell him quietly.

"She saw you—but I thought we aren't allowed to be seen," Harry says. Striding towards the door, I push it open to find myself gone and continue to walk down the hall. The light footsteps of Harry and Hermione reach my ears, and we reach the front doors.

"If anyone's looking out of the window…" Hermione squeaks.

"We're going to be running," I tell her.

"And straight into the forest, alright? We'll have to hide behind a tree or something to keep a look out," Harry adds.

"Okay, but we'll go around the green—" Hermione says but I begin to run down the stone steps of the school and across the field as fast as I can. The Forbidden Forest in my sight I sprint towards it and soon slow down as I enter the outskirts, the shadows of the trees hiding my figure.

Hermione and Harry soon follow me into the Forest a couple of seconds later.

"Kia!" Hermione gasps. "What if we've been seen or—"

"Trust me Hermione, nobody saw you but me," I tell her. She gives me a confused look but shakes it off. "Right, we need to sneak over to Hagrid's….Keep out of sight this time…."

Silently, all three of us walk through the trees, keeping to the very edge of the forest. Moving quickly to a wide oak trunk and the sound of Ron's voice reaches my ears.

"This is the weirdest thing we've ever done," Harry says fervently.

"Let's move along a bit," Hermione whispers. "We need to get nearer to Buckbeak!"

We skulk through the trees until we spot the nervous looking hippogriff tethered to the fence around Hagrid's pumpkin patch.

"Now?" Harry whispers.

"No!" Hermione replies, quickly. "If we steal him now, those Committee people will think Hagrid set Buckbeak free so we'll have to wait until they've seen him first."

"That's going to give us about sixty seconds," Harry says.

"More than enough time," I whisper as my eyes look over at Buckbeak. His majestic neck bent; knowing his fate.

"More than enough time?" Harry repeats with disbelief. A crashing noise resounds from Hagrid's house.

"That's Hagrid breaking the milk jug," Hermione says. "I'm going to find Scabbers in a moment…"

After a couple of seconds Hermione's shriek reaches our ears.

"Kia, Hermione," Harry says suddenly. "What if we—we just run in there and grab Pettigrew—"

"No!" Hermione says in a terrified whisper. "Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important wizarding laws! Nobody is supposed to change time, nobody! You heard Dumbledore, if we're seen—"

"We'd only be seen by ourselves and Hagrid!" Harry says cutting her off.

"What the hell would you do if saw yourself bursting into Hagrid's house?" I ask him.

"I'd—I'd think I'd gone mad," Harry says, "or I'd think there was some Dark Magic going on—"

"Exactly!" Hermione says cutting him off and giving me thankful smile. "You wouldn't understand, you might even attack yourself! Don't you see? Professor McGonagall told me what awful things have happened when wizards have meddled with time….Loads of them ended up killing their past or future selves by mistake!"

"Okay!" Harry says. "It was just an idea, I just thou—"

I nudge Harry to shut up and my eyes flash over to the four men walking down from the castle.

"I'm guessing you guys are about to get out," I mutter. A couple minutes pass until I see Harry, Ron, and Hermione slip into the pumpkin patch from Hagrid's back door and Buckbeak begins to move.

"It's okay, Beaky, it's okay…," Hagrid says to Buckbeak. Then he turns to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Go on. Get goin'."

"Hagrid, we can't—"

"We'll tell them what really happened—"

"They can't kill him—"

"Go it's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all! Kia's not going to come, is she?" Hagrid asks panicked as the silvery cloak covers the three.

"No, I'm pretty sure she's not, and we'll see her coming our way," Ron says from underneath the cloak.

"Well, go quick. Don't listen…."

A knock comes from Hagrid's front door making Hagrid turn around and head back into his cabin, closing the backdoor.

"Where is the beast?" I hear an unfamiliar cold voice demands. 'Now I'm not a genius at guessing voices but I'm thinking that's Macnair.'

"Out—outside," Hagrid replies in a meekly voice. Shuffling stirs from inside the house and I step further back as Macnair looks out the window not able to notice me standing there.

"We—er—have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid. I'll make it quick. And then you and Macnair need to sign it. Macnair, you're supposed to listen too, that's procedure—" Fudge says and I get back to my spot as Macnair is no longer visible.

Harry's eyes meet mine and he nods at me.

"Wait here," he says to Hermione as I creep towards the hippogriff in the pumpkin patch.

With Fudge distracting Macnair from looking out the window my focus is completely on the hippogriff in front of me. The strange creature's eyes stare at me and a second later his leg lifts up and he steps towards me. Harry rushes towards the wooden pole and I see him fumbling with the knot. Reaching in my sweater pocket, I feel a hard metal in my hands and I pull it out, revealing my switchblade. Tossing it to Harry, he catches it giving me an odd look.

"Well, let's get this over with," I hear an old man's voice from inside. "Hagrid, perhaps it will be better if you stayed inside—"

"No, I—I want ter be with him…I don't wan' him ter be alone—"

I hear footsteps shuffling inside, getting closer.

Glimpsing at Harry, I find that he cut the rope off and he picks up the remaining rope no longer holding Buckbeak to the pole.

"Come on, Buckbeak," I whisper, placing my hand on his neck. His eyes travel to Harry and he stops moving.

"One moment, please, Macnair," Dumbledore's voice stops the movement. "You need to sign too."

Buckbeak bends his neck in bow and I pat his neck.

"Let's go,' I whisper to Buckbeak as Harry and me grip the rope.

"Hurry!" Hermione mouths, her face terrifyingly white. I can still hear Dumbledore talking from within the cabin as we reach the trees…

"Quick! Quick!" Hermione moans, darting from her tree and seizing the rope to help pull Buckbeak. Looking over my shoulder, Hagrid's garden is no longer in my line of sight.

"Stop!" Harry whispers, looking at me and Hermione. "They might hear us—"

Hagrid's back door opens with a bang, silence following…then—

"Where is it?" the reedy voice of the Committee member says. "Where is the beast?"

"It was tied here!" Macnair says furiously. "I saw it! Just here!"

"How extraordinary," Dumbledore says, and I hear the note of amusement in his voice.

"Beaky!" Hagrid says huskily.

A swishing noise and the thud of an axe resounds from the pumpkin patch. 'Damn. I guess that was the only excitement for his arse.'

Howling comes from Hagrid along with his sobbing.

"Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, _he's gone_! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"

My arm suddenly jerks forward and I let go of the rope. Beside me, Buckbeak is straining against the rope to get back to Hagrid. Turning around, I see Harry and Hermione tightening their grip.

'The one day I don't wear my gloves…'

Rubbing my hands together, to get rid of the burning sensation when I was jerked forward, I grab hold of the rope and help tug back Buckbeak.

"Someone untied him!" the executioner snarls. "We should search the grounds, the forest—"

"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" Dumbledore says, still sounding amused. "Search the skies, if you will…Hagrid, I can do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy."

"O'—o' course, Professor," Hagrid says, his voice weak with happiness. "Come in, come in…."

Listening closely, I hear Macnair softly cursing, footsteps, the snap of the door and once more again, silence.

"Now what?" Harry asks.

"We wait and hide in here until they've gone back to the castle. Then we wait to fly Buckbeak up to Sirius' window. He won't be up there for a couple of hours….Oh, this is going to be difficult…." Hermione says looking pretty shaken and glances back into the forest.

"We need to see what's going on," I tell them.

"Okay," Hermione says, getting a firmer grip on Buckbeak's rope. "But we've got to keep out of sight."

We move around the edge of the forest and hide behind a clump of trees where we still have a clear view of the Willow and it's surroundings.

There's Ron!" Harry says suddenly as a dark figure is sprinting across the lawn.

"Get away from him—get away—Scabbers, come _here_—"

And then I see two other figures materialize out of nowhere. I watch as Harry and Hermione are chasing after Ron, then Ron dives.

"_Gotcha_! Get off, you stinking—"

"There's Sirius!" Harry says. The great dog bounds towards Harry and jumps on him, knocking him to the ground and seizes Ron….

"Looks even worse from here, doesn't it?" Harry says as the dog pulls Ron into the roots of the Whomping Willow. "Ouch—look, I just got walloped by the tree—and so did you, Hermione—this is _weird_—"

Then another figure emerges, sprinting towards Hermione and pushes her to the ground as a large branch barely misses them. Another rather large branch swings at the person but the figure bends, back parallel to the ground. Fluidly, the person gets up and stares in Harry's direction.

"Harry, get down!" a feminine voice rings out. Harry moves down in time as a branch sways violently in his direction. In the same moment as the person warns him, a large branch hits her sending her flying near the castle wall. Both Harry and Hermione get up and the tree freezes. The moment they disappear the tree's branches start to sway again. Seconds later, footsteps can be heard close by. Dumbledore, Macnair, Fudge, and the old Committee member approach the castle from Hagrid's cabin.

'At least they didn't come any sooner and thank God the tree hit me that hard to take me that far.'

"Ki, was that—?"

"Yeah, it was me," I reply, already knowing the question.

"Here comes Lupin!" Harry says as I see another figure sprinting down the stone steps and haring toward the Willow. I note that clouds are obscuring the moon completely as he seizes a broken branch from the ground and prods the knot on the trunk. The tree stops swaying completely and Lupin disappears into the gap of the roots.

"If he'd only grabbed the cloak," Harry says. "It's just lying there…."

He turns to look at me and Hermione.

"If I just dashed out now and grabbed it, Snape'd never be able to get it and—"

"Harry, _we mustn't be seen_!"

He looks over at me to see if I agree with her and I shrug my shoulders.

"How can you stand this?" he asks us fiercely. "Just standing here and watching it happen?" He hesitated. "I'm going to grab the cloak!"

"Harry, _no_!" Hermione says and I see Harry ready to run. My eyes travel towards Hagrid's hut and I see Hagrid walking out. I wrap my hand around his arm and yank him down causing him to fall on the ground and just as he falls, Hagrid bursts into song. Making his way up to the castle, singing at the top of his voice with a large bottle swinging in his hands is Hagrid staggering up to the castle.

"_See?_" Hermione whispers. "_See what would have happened?_ We've got to keep out of sight! _No, Buckbeak!_"

With my hands no longer gripping the rope I turn to look at Buckbeak and see him making frantic attempts to get to Hagrid. Grabbing hold of the rope once again, I watch as Hagrid meander tipsily up to the castle and then no where in sight. Buckbeak stops fighting to get away and his head drops sadly.

Barely two minutes later, the castle doors fly open again, and Snape comes charging out of them, running toward the Willow.

A smirk makes a way onto my lips as I watch him. 'I wonder if he ever thought that I would punch him….'

He skids to a halt next to the tree, looking around and grabs the cloak and holds it up.

"Get your filthy hands off it," Harry snarls under his breath.

"Shh!"

Snape takes hold of the branch Lupin used to freeze the tree, prods the knot, and vanishes from view as he puts on the cloak.

"When do you get up, Ki?" Harry asks.

"Probably in a couple of minutes or something," I reply. We all watch the area where I'm unconscious.

A small outline appears from the gap at the base of the tree.

"Crookshanks," Hermione breathes out.

"And this is supposedly when I wake up," I say as Crookshanks pounces on me.

"Ow," I hear myself say and see myself get up. "Shit!"

"It's awful how much I swear," I mutter to Hermione and Harry and they nod their heads in agreement. "Still doesn't mean I'm going to stop…"

"Thanks for biting me," I hear myself sarcastically mutter to the cat. The ginger fur ball heads over to the base of the tree.

"Crookshanks, I don't—"

The stops moving and soon I see myself disappear from view into the base of the tree.

"So that's it," Hermione says quietly. "We're all down there…and now we've just got to wait until we come back up again…."

She takes the end of Buckbeak's rope and ties it securely around the nearest tree and then joins Harry and me on the ground.

"Ki, Harry, there's something I don't understand….Why didn't the dementors get Sirius? I remember a dementors on Ki, and the rest were coming, and then I passed out…there were so many of them…."

Harry explains to us what he saw. How, as the nearest dementors had lowered his mouth to Harry's, a large silver something had come galloping across the lake and forced the dementors to retreat.

My eyes narrow curiously at Harry as he finishes.

"But what was it?" Hermione asks.

"There's only one thing it could have been, to make dementors go," Harry says and he glances over at me. "A real Patronus. A powerful one and I'm thinking there were two."

"Two Patronuses?" Hermione says perplexed.

"Well, yeah," Harry says. "I saw another reflected from the water, or so I think, but I didn't get a good look at that one so it might not even have been a Patronus, but I definitely saw two people."

"But who conjured it?" I ask him intrigued.

Harry stays silent, most likely pondering on the mystery people.

"Didn't you see what they looked like?" Hermione asks eagerly. "Were they teachers?"

"No," Harry says. "They weren't teachers."

"But they must've been really powerful wizards, to drive all those dementors away….If the Patronuses were shining so brightly, didn't it light them up? Couldn't you see—?"

"Yeah, I saw them," Harry says slowly. "But maybe I imagined it….I wasn't thinking straight….I passed out right afterward…."

"Who did you think they were?"

"I think—" Harry swallows and looks straight at me. "I think it was your mum and my dad."

My eyes widen a bit at this information.

"Harry, they're—well—_dead_," Hermione says quietly.

"I know that," Harry says quickly.

"You think you saw they're ghost?" Hermione says.

"I don't know…no…they looked solid," he says.

"But then—"

"Maybe I was seeing things," Harry says, and glances at me before settling on Buckbeak. "But…from what I could see…it looked like them…I've got photos of them together…."

Hermione's still looking at him as if she is worrying about his sanity.

"I know it sounds crazy," Harry says flatly.

An hour passes until I look over at the Willow.

"Here we come!" Hermione whispers.

I get on my feet as Lupin, Ron, and Pettigrew clamber awkwardly out of the hole. Then the unconscious Snape along with Sirius and Harry. Hermione and me come out next. All of us begin to walk towards the castle.

'Now Harry's going to try and do something….'

"Harry," Hermione mutters, thinking the same exact thing I am, "we've got to stay put. We mustn't be seen. There's nothing we can do…."

"How do you expect to find a rat in the dark?" Hermione snaps. "There's nothing we can do! We came back to help Sirius; we're not supposed to do anything else!"

"_Alright!_"

The moon slides out from behind the clouds and the tiny figures across the grounds stop. Then movement—

"There goes Lupin," Hermione whispers. "He's transforming—"

"Hermione! Kia!" Harry says suddenly. "We've got to move!"

"We mustn't, I keep telling you—"

"Not to interfere! Lupin's going to run into the forest after he attacks Ki, and he'll come right at us!"

My eyes widen as Hermione gasps.

"Quick!" Hermione says, dashing to Buckbeak and untying him. "Quick! Where are we going to go? Where are we going to hide? The dementors will be coming any moment—"

"Hagrid's. He's not there right now!" I say, tugging in my shoe strings.

Allowing myself to be in the rear, the howling comes closer. The cabin is in sight and Harry wrenches it open. Hermione and Buckbeak flash past him and I grab Harry and dart in, him bolting the door. Loud barking fills my ears and I see Fang the boarhound.

"Shh, Fang, it's us!" Hermione says, hurrying over and scratching his ears to shut him up. "That was really close!" she says looking over at me and Harry.

"Yeah…."

I look out of the window but I cannot get a clear view.

"I think I'd better go outside again, you know," Harry says slowly. My lips twitch up. "I can't see what's going on—we won't know when it's time—"

Hermione looks up, the expression on her face suspicion.

"I'm not going to try and interfere," he says quickly. "But if we don't see what's going on, how're we going to know when it's time to rescue Sirius?"

"I'll go with him," I add in and Hermione's expression lightens.

"Well…okay, then…I'll wait here with Buckbeak…but you two, be careful—there's a werewolf out there—and the dementors—"

We both step outside and edge around the cabin.

"I'm getting tired of this," I mutter and grab Harry's arm and race down as I see a couple of dementors emerging out of the darkness. I abruptly stop, as we get near the bank, at the sight of a dementor swooping over a limp body beside the lake. Sirius emerges on the scene and soon so does Harry and Hermione.

"Ki, did the dementor just kiss y—"

"Come on!" I hiss and tug him behind a bush. Peering out onto the opposite side of the bank, I see tiny glimmers of silver. 'That must've been Harry.'

The glimmers of silver distinguish as more dementors begin to emerge.

"Harry, I don't think it was them…." I say and he turns to me and he nods understanding what I mean. Flinging myself from my former position, I whip out my wand.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" I hear Harry yelling from beside me as I say the words. Out of the end of my wand, a blinding, dazzling, pearly bird protrudes and flaps its majestic wings into the sky. Another silver animal gallops across the lake.

Glimpsing at Harry, who is gazing at the Patronuses, a small smile breaks out onto my face.

'Prongs.'

The Patronuses force the dementors to retreat and scatter and soon they are gone. The pearly white phoenix circling above vanishes, but the stag comes towards Harry.

"_Prongs_," he whispers and reaches out with trembling fingers but it vanishes. Hooves pounding against the ground come closer and I turn around to see Hermione dashing towards us, dragging Buckbeak behind her.

"_What did you do?_" she says fiercely. "You said you were only going to keep lookout, and, Kia, I thought you were to watch _him_."

"Harry just saved our arse," I tell her. "Get behind here and he'll explain."

Harry looks at me and I just shake my head. Hermione listens to what happened in a more modified version. 'Hopefully, she won't remember that Harry said he possibly saw two Patronuses.'

"Did anyone see you?" Hermione asks.

"Yes, haven't you been listening? I saw me but I thought I was my dad and Kia was her mum! It's okay!"

"Harry, I can't believe it….You conjured up a Patronus that drove away all those dementors. That's _very_ advanced magic…."

"I knew I could do it this time," Harry says, "because I'd already done it….Does that make sense?"

"Sure does," I say with a smile.

"Look at Snape!"

I peer through the bush at the other end of the bank. After conjuring the stretchers he leads all of us back into the castle.

"Right, it's nearly time," Hermione says tensely, looking at her watch.

"We've got about forty-five minutes until Dumbledore locks the door to the Hospital Wing. We've got to rescue Sirius and make it to the Hospital Wing before anybody realizes we're missing…"

"D' you reckon he's up there yet?" Harry says, checking his watch. I glance over at the thirteenth window from the West Tower on the seventh floor.

"Look!" Hermione whispers. "Who's that? Someone's coming back out of the castle!"

A man hurrying across the grounds, toward one of the entrances; something shiny glinting from his belt.

"It's Macnair," I say and then turn to them. "I guess it's time to head up."

Hermione puts her hands on Buckbeak's back and Harry helps her up. He turns to me.

"I'll manage," I tell him and swing myself onto Buckbeak's back behind of Hermione. Turning myself the other way so I'm facing Buckbeak's tail, I make sure my legs have a secure hold on Buckbeak's back.

"Ki, why aren't you holding onto me?" Hermione asks.

"I'm facing the other way so I can help Sirius on. I've got a tight grip," I say.

"Ready?" Harry whispers. "Hermione, you'd better hold onto me—and, Ki—"

"Yeah, I'm ready," I say.

Buckbeak soars straight into the dark air leaving the place we once stood getting smaller. The hippogriff glides quietly toward the upper floors of the castle, turns left—

"He's there!" Harry says, peering through the window, I spot Sirius inside. Reaching to the side, I tap the glass with my finger.

Sirius's head shoots up and his jaw drops. He leaps from his chair, hurries to the window and tries to open it but it's locked.

'Damn i—'

The windows spring open automatically. I look behind at Harry and Hermione, but neither of them have their wands out.

"How—how—?" Sirius says weakly, staring at Buckbeak.

"Hurry up before the dementors come up," I say hurriedly. His thin body slips through the window and I grab his arm and help him on Buckbeak. I turn my body so I can hold onto Hermione in order for Sirius to hold onto me.

"Okay, Buckbeak, up!" I hear Harry order. "Up to the tower—come on!"

Buckbeak's mighty wings sweep the air and we soar upward again, to the top of the West Tower. As soon as Buckbeak lands, I slide my body off of Buckbeak and so does Harry and Hermione.

"Sirius, you'd better go, quick," Harry pants. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone."

"What happened to the other boy? Ron?" Sirius croaks.

"He's still unconscious but he's going to be fine. Now, go!" I tell him. He stares down at me.

"How can I ever thank—"

"GO!" Harry and Hermione shout together.

Sirius wheels Buckbeak around facing the open sky.

"See you," I say with a small grin.

"We'll see each other again," he says and squeezes Buckbeak's sides with his heels. The enormous wings rise once more….The hippogriff takes off into the air….Both of them becoming smaller into the distance as I look on….And they both disappear.

"Hermione, shouldn't we be getting down by now?" I remind her and she looks at her watch.

"Kia's right! Harry, we've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anyone seeing us—before Dumbledore locks the door—"

"Okay."

I slip through the doorway first and down a tightly spiraling stone staircase. As I reach the bottom of the staircase I stop.

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. _Exactly five heartbeats course through my head and I ignore the slight pain. I pull out my arm to stop them from going further and put a finger to my lips. Fortunately, the heartbeats cease.

"…only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties," I hear Snape say. "The Kiss will be performed immediately?"

"As soon as Macnair returns with the dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the _Daily Prophet_ that we've got him at last….I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape…and once young Harry's back in his right mind, I expect he'll want to tell the _Prophet_ exactly how you saved him…."

I catch a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge pass our hiding place. A smirk appears on my face as their footsteps fade away.

"Can't wait to see the smirk wiped off his face when he finds out Sirius isn't there," I whisper, and Hermione and Harry throw me an amused look.

We run in the opposite direction. Down one staircase, then another, along a corridor—then cackling.

"_Peeves!_" Harry mutters.

"In here!" I whisper, and dart into a deserted classroom. From what I can hear, Peeves seems to be bouncing around the corridor in boisterous good spirits, laughing his head off.

"Oh he's horrible," Hermione says, her ear to the door. "I bet he's all excited because the dementors are going to finish off Sirius…."

We wait until Peeves' gloating voice fades into the distance and I slide back out of the room and run.

"What'll happen—if we don't get back inside—before Dumbledore locks the door?" Harry pants.

"I don't even want to think about it!" Hermione says, checking her watch. "One minute!"

Reaching the end of the corridor with the Hospital Wing entrance, I hear Dumbledore's voice.

"I can hear Dumbledore," I tell them, and we creep along the corridor and I see Dumbledore, with his back to us.

"I am going to lock you in," I hear him say. "It is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

Dumbledore backs out of the room, closes the door, and magically locks it with his wand. We rush forward and Dumbledore looks up, and a wide smile appears under the long silver mustache. "Well?" he says quietly.

"We did it!" Harry says breathlessly. "Sirius has gone on Buckbeak…."

Dumbledore beams at us.

"Well done. I think—" he says and he makes to listen through the door.

"We've gone," I blurt out as the pounding in my head comes back and I massage my temple with two fingers. He smiles at me.

"Well then, get inside—I'll lock you in," he says, and I feel Harry and Hermione's curious gaze.

We slip back inside the ward. Empty, besides Ron who is lying motionless in the end bed. As the lock clicks behind us, I creep back into my bed, opposite Harry's. A moment later, Madam Pomfrey comes striding back out of her office.

"Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?"

"He left just now," I tell her. She nods her head and gives more blocks of chocolate to Harry and Hermione. After tending to them, she strides over to me with a large block of chocolate in one hand and a hammer in the other.

"I see that you've finished," she says, slamming the chocolate with her hammer, breaking it into pieces. She sets the hammer beside the bedside table. "Now eat this."

"You don't have to tell me," I say with a smile, and I see her lips twitch into a small smile. I happily divulge myself with the chocolate. My eyes land on the last delicious piece of chocolate, I take a bite and begin to suck on the piece of chocolate in my mouth. As soon as I take my second bite, I hear a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above….

"What was that?" Madam Pomfrey says alarmed.

"I'm guessing it's the big bad wolf," I say and begin to laugh. Madam Pomfrey, Harry, and Hermione look at me with their mouth's slightly open. Now the voices come near the ward, making Madam Pomfrey looking from me to the door.

"Really—they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?"

Drawing nearer and nearer, I stop laughing so I can hear what they are saying.

"He must've Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out—"

"HE DID'NT DISAPPARATE!" Snape roars. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE _OR_ DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS—HAS—SOMETHING—TO—DO—WITH—POTTER!"

'He definitely has it in for Harry.'

"Severus—be reasonable—Harry has been locked up—"

BAM.

The door of the Hospital Wing bursts open.

Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore stride into the ward. The only one calm is Dumbledore, and he looks as if he's enjoying himself.

"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" Snape bellows. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I didn't know eating chocolate was a crime now," I say with a smile plastered on my face.

"Hold your tongue, Black!" Snape shouts at me, completely furious.

"I'll try. But it's kind of hard to grip my tongue with my hand especially when—" I say, and open my mouth and see the look of disgust on Snape's and Fudge's faces. "Looks like shit, doesn't it? So I'd say that I should disregard that action."

Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore have rings on their faces, and Harry and Hermione are struggling not to laugh.

"See here, Snape, be reasonable," Fudge says. "This door's been locked. We just saw—"

"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howls, pointing his finger at Harry, to Hermione, and landing on me.

"Calm down, man!" Fudge barks. "You're talking nonsense!"

'This is hilarious! It's like a talking grudge match!'

"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" Snape shrieks. "HE DID IT, AND I KNOW BLACK HELPED, I KNOW THEY DID IT—"

"That will do, Severus," Dumbledore says quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"

"Of course not!" Madam Pomfrey says, bristling. "I would have heard them!"

"Well there you have it, Severus," Dumbledore says calmly. "Unless you suggesting that Harry, Hermione, and Kia are able to be in two places at once. I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."

Snape whirls around and storms out of the ward.

"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," Fudge says staring after him. "I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore."

"I think he's an excellent Professor," I say and everyone stares at me incredulously besides Dumbledore.

"I shall tell him that, Kia. He will pleased ," Dumbledore says, looking at me with a smile and then looks at Fudge. "He's no unbalanced. He's just suffered a severe disappointment."

"He's not the only one!" Fudge puffs. "The _Daily Prophet_'s going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughing stock! Well…I'd better go notify the Ministry…."

"And the dementors?" Dumbledore says. "They'll be removed from the school, I trust?"

"Oh yes, they'll have to go," Fudge says, running his fingers through his hair through his hair distractedly. "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy and girl—"

I cough loudly interrupting him. I raise an eyebrow.

"And you too, Black," he says. "Completely out of control…no, I'll have them pack off back to Azkaban tonight…Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance…."

"Hagrid would like that," Dumbledore says smiling at us and both him and Fudge leave the ward. Madam Pomfrey hurries to the door, locks it again, and mutters angrily to herself as she heads back in her office.

I hear a low moan from Ron's bed and he sits up, rubbing his head, looking around.

"What—what happened?" he groans. "Harry? Why are we in here? Where's Lupin and Sirius? What's going on?"

All three of us look at one another.

"Oh no, I'm eating," I say holding up my large piece of chocolate.

"You explain," Harry says looking at Hermione and grabbing a piece of chocolate for himself.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!**


	33. Leaving

**A/N: Hey! It's been a long while since I updated and I am sorry about that. I was in Florida during my absence! And how about it guys this is the last chapter of third year!!!!!!!!! I'm finally done with this demonic torture of having to wait to finally post up the fourth one. I'll tell you guys right now that I will be updating the fourth almost daily. Thank you all for reading and for the reviews that I have received!!!!!!**

**Thank you to: BFFofCrazyShopoholicPixe-Alice, Wunmiii, nicklepickle, Rushingriver, SiriuslyInLove-X, MissChristinaBlack, newkid-is-me, leafstone, JaeBard, Hurricane Rachel, brunette-in-black. Sorry if I didn't put yours but I think I put all of them!**

**Disclaimer: No, no, no, no, nooooo!!**

**ATTENTION!!!!! THERE IS A POLL ON MY PROFILE CALLED '**WHO DO YOU WISH KIRSTEN BLACK SHOULD BE WITH IN 4TH YEAR?'** AND I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHO YOU GUYS THINK SHE SHOULD BE WITH!!**

My legs stride aimlessly through the deserted corridor as the sweltering heat forces me to shed my sweater, revealing my white tank top.

"Kia!" a voice calls out from behind me. Whirling around, I see a short figure running in my direction with two others beside him.

"Hey, Derek," I say with a smile. He beams right back at me.

"Did you hear about Professor Lupin?" he asks excitedly. My eyes narrow slightly.

"What about him?"

"He's a werewolf!" he says, but instead of disgust on his and his friends' faces it's awe and excitement.

"How did you find out?"

Derek's excitement vanishes from his face.

"I guess you didn't hear since Cedric told me you were in the Hospital Wing," Derek rambles. "Anyways, Professor Snape let slip to the Slytherins at breakfast this morning."

My eyes narrow considerably at that new bit of information.

"We just walked by his room a while ago and saw him packing. You better hurry because he was done when we saw him," he continues.

"Thanks," I say, throwing a grateful look towards the little boy and his two friends.

My legs pick up speed as I sprint down the hallway and I slide to a stop in front of Professor Lupin's door. Standing in front of me, ready to leave with an old suitcase in one hand and the empty Grindylow tank in the other, is Remus.

"Why—" But I stop as there is no need for an answer. "Can I at least see you out?"

"Alright," he says, his eyes not meeting mine but past me. My eyes narrow at his behavior and I step away from the doorframe in order for him to get out and I see Professor Dumbledore and Harry staring at me. Dumbledore nods his head slightly at me with a smile on his face. I turn away and we both walk through the corridor.

"You weren't even going to say bye were you?" I ask, my voice low.

"I gave Professor Dumbledore a letter for you," he replies curtly as we step onto the castle's stone steps. He walks faster.

"You're kidding me? A letter?!" I say disbelievingly, catching up with his pace. "I was at the Hospital Wing the entire morning and you—you were going to leave me a letter!"

But he just ignores me and picks up his pace, getting closer and closer to the gates.

"Who told you?" I ask, now realizing why he is ignoring me.

"Professor Dumbledore," he answers with a sigh.

"It doesn't even matter! Who cares that—"

"I attacked you? I do," Remus snaps and he takes a deep breath, calming himself. "Your mother asked me to be your godfather to a point where I actually agreed. She knew what I am. She knew the risks. But I—I could have killed you, Kirsten," he says quietly.

"So you forgot to take your potion and you did attack me, but you didn't kill me," I say, shrugging my shoulders. "Besides you never intended to kill me before only wh—"

"But—"

"Listen!" I say sternly. An emotion flickers in his eyes as he stares at me, lips slightly parted. "You are my godfather. My guardian, and _you've _been playing that role, alright? One mishap last night and you don't even want to say goodbye to your goddaughter because you attacked her?"

"That's a good enough reason to talk," I state, crossing my arms in front of my chest and looking directly at him. The corners of his mouth curl up and he looks at me with a smile.

"Harry told me about your Patronuses," he says.

"I told him not to include me in about that."

"Why not? That is a very outstanding achievement and that was one of the first spells you taught yourself. Not many adult wizards can even conjure one themselves," he says praising me.

"That's because I'm a Clipse," I mutter.

"But that is _your_ power," Remus says. A couple of seconds of silence pass by between us as Remus gazes at me intently. "I don't know how, but you look both like Alicia and Sirius at the same time…more like Alicia in a way and your eyes remind me of Sirius…"

"Well, Mum was probably pretty, but my dad?" I ask in a joking tone and he laughs.

"Actually, Sirius used to get a lot of the girls at Hogwarts…." he trails off like he's back in some deep memory but shakes his head.

"What I cannot get my mind off is how you found out Sirius is innocent," he says quietly, gazing curiously at me.

"I devoted most of my time this year on focusing about Sirius's innocence," I say, grinning, but I still can't get my off of what he just said about Sirius. "But I wasn't alone."

"Who helped?"

"I did," another voice says and I look beside me to see Cedric standing there.

I flash him a smile and he returns one. Looking back at Remus I see his face shocked.

"He knows about Sirius and…everything else," I tell him and he nods his head.

"It was nice having you as a professor," Cedric says, stretching out his. "Wish you would've stayed. You were the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher I ever had."

"It was a pleasure teaching you, Cedric," Remus says, shaking his hand after setting down the empty Grindylow tank. "Make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble next year for me, would you?"

"I'll try my best, but she does tend to get away with it," Cedric replies and Remus nods his head with a grin.

"Your right about that."

"I'm right here," I state blandly, staring at the two of them.

He sets down his suitcase as he turns to me. I wrap my arms around his neck, giving him a hug and pull away.

"You will write, won't you?" he asks. I raise an eyebrow.

"_You're_ asking _me_ that question?" I say, emphasizing 'you're' and 'me'. He chuckles at that and picks up his suitcase and empty tank. "You are, right?"

"Yes," he replies and he crosses over to the gate.

Turning his head, he gives me one last smile and CRACK! My eyes widen as his body vanishes from sight, leaving the trail towards Hogsmeade in my line of vision.

"What—was that Apparation?" I ask, looking at Cedric to find him smiling at me.

"I'm pretty sure it was," he answers, putting a hand on his chin. I roll my eyes and bump him from the side.

"Ha ha. You're funny," I say sarcastically as we walk up the trail to the castle. "Where'd you come from anyway?"

"The gate. I was at Hogsmeade with John and a couple of others, and I saw you up there with Professor Lupin…"

"That's so sweet. You ditched your friends just to see me," I state with a sly smile. He shakes his head slightly, chuckling at my behavior.

"So are you going to be ditching me for Hermione, Ron, and Harry?"

Confusion crosses my mind as I look at him. He nods his head up from beyond the trail where I see three figures coming closer to us.

"No, I want you to stay with me," I say with a grin as Hermione, Ron, and Harry come to us. But the expression on their faces immediately change as they reach us. 'They don't have anything against Cedric.'

"Black!"

"It just has to get worse before it gets better, doesn't it?" I say clearly annoyed.

"Oh Potter, I heard about Dumbledore taking the dementors out and packing to Azkaban!" Parkinson's voice fills my ears. "Are you—"

"If all the dementors went to Azkaban, then why the hell are you still here?" I cut her off with an eyebrow raised, turning towards the group. Cedric, Harry, Ron, and Hermione burst out laughing. My eyes flicker over to the group of Slytherins and then rest on Parkinson. Her face contorted with rage that I just insulted her.

"My father's not a psychopath!"

Is that supposed to be an insult? Cause I think that just gave me more leverage than it does for her.

"And mine supposedly is, a raving lunatic. If you want to meet him, all you have to do is ask," I say and Parkinson's eyes widen. "How about the fourth of June?"

"Your father is out to kill you," Parkinson says smugly.

"Actually, I had a nice chat with him before he escaped last night. He said he was never after me," I tell her with a sigh. "And told me that if he somehow escaped from the dementors, then he'll personally find out who is bothering me…."

My eyes catch sight of a group walking from Hogsmeade and up near the gates and a grin crawls onto my face.

"Parkinson, you are my favorite Slytherin and I don't want to be the one to break it to you but is that Malfoy with Allison Stone?" I say, but her glare intensifies as she stares at me.

"I'm not falling for—"

A ring of laughter echoes up to where we stand and Parkinson turns around. Her face most likely filled with rage and she storms off down back the trail to Hogsmeade towards the other group, her little group of Slytherin girls following her.

The echo of my footsteps stop as I reach the two gargoyles standing before me.

"Raspberry jam," I say. They both immediately spring out of my way and allow me to ascend the spiral staircase.

"Come in," a voice calls from beyond the doors before I even knock. My hand reaches for the handle and I push the door open. The sight of Dumbledore's unique office meets my eyes and they land on the magnificent red and gold swan-sized creature. The phoenix glides gracefully towards me, landing on my shoulder.

"Hello, Fawkes," I greet the elegant bird on my shoulder. "How are you?"

I reach out and gently stroke his beak. The bird's eyes close at my touch and a sweet note fills the room and fades away. I curiously look at the strange bird but a small smile makes a way onto my face. 'Did I just understand Fawkes?'

"I'm fine," I reply to the bird with a nod of my head. Fawkes light weight lifts from my shoulder and his wing lightly brushes against my face as he returns to his perch.

"Fawkes is pleased to be in your company once again," a calm voice says from the side. My smile grows wider as I turn to see the headmaster next to a grand bookshelf.

"How are you, Professor?" I ask.

"I am doing remarkably well, Kia," he responds and pulls a thick book from the shelf. "But I guess with the events that have taken place yesterday, I should be asking you."

"Quite alright," I tell him and look over at Fawkes. "So Harry's probably told you about Professor Trelawney's prediction?"

"He has indeed told me."

"Harry's told me what happened to him along with Hermione and Ron during their first and second years. How Voldemort was behind it all. Trying to regain his strength over the years. And now Professor Trelawney had a prediction—"

A thought crosses my mind and I bite my lip.

"Something tells me that Voldemort is going to come back next year," I say.

"I worry that the day may come soon, Kia," he says, but he smiles kindly towards me. "But it is not the time to discuss such matters.

"You are becoming stronger by the day and not all of your abilities have come into your control," Dumbledore says. "For instance your ability to _easily_ produce magic wordlessly without having a wand in hand."

My eyes widen as I stare at Professor Dumbledore.

"Your kidding! When have I been able to do _that_?" I ask perplexed.

"Think back to times where things would happen when you had no wand in hand…."

My mind reels as I try to remember when I have ever done wordlessly without a wand. 'Damn! Why can't I remember! There was that time during Christmas—'

"When the goblet explode in front of that Slytherin's face!"

"Exactly."

I gaze curiously at the wise man. 'He sure knows a lot about Clipses….'

"But you must know the origin of Clipses," he says, revealing the cover of the thick leather bound book as his hands place it upon his desk, "in order for us to begin our journey."

The train moves slowly as I seat myself beside Harry while Hermione and Ron sit across from us. My fingers trail along the black journal on my lap.

"I went to see Professor McGonagall this morning, just before breakfast. I've decided to drop Muggle Studies."

"Thank God. If I had to go through another year with you like that, I'd go mad," I tell her, flashing a smile her way. She rolls her eyes at me, shaking her head slightly.

"But you passed your exam with three hundred and twenty percent!" Ron says, astonished that she wants to give up a class that even though she got a great score.

"I know," Hermione sighs, "but I can't stand another year like this one. That Time-Turner, it was driving me mad. I've handed it in. Without Muggle Studies and Divination, I'll be able to have a normal schedule again."

"I still can't _believe_ you didn't tell us about it,' Ron says rather grumpily. "We're supposed to be your _friends_."

"I promised I wouldn't tell _anyone_," Hermione says severely.

"Then how did Kia know about it?" Ron asks, glimpsing at me. I shrug my shoulders as all three of them look at me.

"I took a wild guess."

I glance at Harry as he goes back to staring at the window, watching Hogwarts disappear from view behind the large mountains.

"Oh, cheer up, Harry!" Hermione says sadly.

"I'm okay," Harry says quickly. "Just thinking about the holidays."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about them too," Ron says. "Harry, you've got to come and stay with us. I'll fix it up with Mum and Dad, then I'll call you. I know how to use a felly tone now—"

"I thought it was called a _telephone_," I say, throwing a weird look at Ron. A laugh escapes my lips as he looks back at me with a confused expression.

"Honestly, _you_ should take Muggle Studies next year…."

"It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer! How about it, Harry? Come and stay, and we'll go and see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work."

I watch Harry with an amused look. The depressed mood dramatically changes as he lifts himself up from his slouching position.

"Yeah…I bet the Dursleys'd be pleased to let me come…especially after what I did to Aunt Marge…."

With Harry feeling more cheerful than when we left Hogwarts, all four of us play several games of Exploding Snap. The witch with the tea cart arrives no later, allowing me to buy myself a hefty lunch.

"Kia, where're you going to stay over the holidays?" Ron asks. Picking my face up from my food, I see the attention is on me.

"There's no way I'm going to set foot in the orphanage. So I guess I'm just going to stay at a hotel with a bunch of Muggles," I tell them.

"You can always stay with my family. I can ask Mum and Dad, and Ginny definitely won't mind sharing a room with you," Ron says.

"Or you can come along with me. My parents won't mind either, Ki," Hermione suggests.

"Thanks, but I can't accept that. It's really too much and I have enough money to keep me living during the holiday," I tell them with a grin. Hermione, Ron, and Harry still have doubtful looks on their faces. A very small grey creature bumps into the window beside Harry.

"Harry, something's out your window," I say, leaning my head and trying peer out the window from seat. 'At least we're off the topic of where I'm staying during the holidays.' "I think it's an owl."

Harry turns his head to where I'm looking at. He stands up to get a better look and quickly opens the window, stretches his arm and closes the window.

"Well, your definitely right, Ki," Harry says as he unfurls his hand to reveal a very small grey owl. An envelope too big for it to carry attached to his leg. The little owl drops the letter beside me and commences to zoom around the compartment. I laugh inwardly as I look at the two other animals in the compartment. Hedwig clicks her beak with disapproval as the little bird bumps into her. Crookshanks' yellow eyes follow the wild movement of the cute owl making Ron snatch the owl safely out of harm's way.

Harry picks up the letter and sits himself down beside me again.

"It's from Sirius!" he shouts excitedly, like a little kid that received the best gift causing me to smile.

"What?" Ron and Hermione say, rather excited themselves. "Read it aloud!"

Harry allows me to lean on his shoulder and I look on as his voice rings through my ears.

_Dear Harry,_

_I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post._

_Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job._

_I believe the dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that security on the castle will be lifted._

_There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting and I don't think Kia has gotten to telling you yet. It was I who sent you the Firebolt_—

"Ha!" Hermione says triumphantly. "See! I _told_ you it was from him!"

"Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?" Ron says, and I see the tiny owl in his hands nibble his fingers. "Ouch!"

_Crookshanks took the orders to the Owl Office for me. I used Kia's name and took the gold from her vault (formerly mine and her mother's combined). Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather._

_If this letter has reached Harry before the train arrives at King's Cross then I know that, you, Kia, are reading this also. I am sorry for all your birthdays I missed including holidays and hope for those gloves to compensate for all the holidays I wasn't there for. As for the gold in your account. There is enough to get you through Hogwarts supplies for your next years. _

_Now, Harry, I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave you that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you._

_I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable._

_If you ever need me, send word. Your owl will find me._

_I'll write again soon._

_Sirius_

'Shit! I don't even have enough money to stay anywhere for the summer!'

I clear the worried expression off my face so Ron, Hermione, and Harry don't remember and stress over what Sirius wrote. Luckily, Harry looks eagerly inside the envelope, and takes out a small piece of parchment.

_I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade on weekends._

"That'll be good enough for Dumbledore!" Harry says happily, and he looks back down at his paper. "Hang on there's P.S…."

_I know Remus already wrote one for Kia and I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat._

A grin spreading on my lips, I look over at Ron to see his eyes widen and the minute owl in his hands still hooting excitedly.

"Keep him?" he says uncertainly, peering closely at the cute owl for a moment. My jaw drops slightly as Ron picks up the hyperactive owl for Crookshanks to sniff. "What do you reckon? Definitely an owl?"

An approving purr emerges from Crookshanks.

"That's good enough for me. He's mine," Ron says content and Harry looks over the letter.

"Lupin wrote you a note for Hogsmeade?" Harry asks me, causing Ron to look at me confused.

"I guess I forgot to tell you," I say, trying to think back if I did ever tell them.

"Lupin is Kia's godfather," Hermione tells them with a smile. The two of them look at me, perplexed.

"How could you not tell us something like that?!" Ron asks, furiously.

"I thought I did," I say lamely. "And if I didn't, I guess I already thought I told you because….I tell you guys everything!"

"Like what that book is in your hands?" Harry says, his eyes on the black leather bound journal on my lap.

"Oh," I say, frowning slightly and then look up and give Ron and Harry a grin. "This is my mum's journal. I got it during Christmas."

"Who gave it to you?"

"I think it was Professor Dumbledore. A name wasn't left on the note," I tell them unsurely, and I see Harry staring at me intently.

"It must be him. He did the same with me for my dad's Invisibility Cloak," Harry assures me.

Silence ensues the compartment and I look at all three of their faces.

"Oh, you guys want me to it read to you," I say, realization dawning on me. "Okay, umm…."

Propping the book in my hands, I turn the cover over and see the page covered in writing and the letter my mum left me.

"What's that?" Harry asks. I lift up the piece of paper.

"It's a letter my mum wrote," I say. "I suppose you guys want me to read this also."

_Kirsten,_

_I understand that I will not probably be with you at this moment in physical form, but I will always be with you in spirit. The fight against Lord Voldemort is still going, but I have believed that it will soon end, horribly. A sense tells me that something will go horribly wrong. The Order of the Phoenix has just realized that there is a traitor amongst us._

_But let me put that aside since that information is contained in my journal that you are most likely holding in your hands. Since you are reading this letter at the moment, then I was obviously right about me going to die soon. You see, Voldemort has been hunting me down ever since I left Hogwarts. The safety that Albus has provided me there has lasted me enough time to train myself. Know who I am. I might sound different in this letter than I do in my journal, but that is because things have changed now. I am no longer carefree. I have lost my innocence from this war. I have lost family and loved ones from what that damn bastard Voldemort has started. Hopefully your father is with you instead of joining me._

_You must be attending Hogwarts by now if you are reading this, mainly your first year or third year. Whichever Albus prefers you to read this. This journal is not any type of journal and you will see what I mean. To see you grow was my dream along with your fathers'. I just wanted to let you know, that I love you and always will._

_Alicia Evans Black_

"Ki, that's—"

"Sad? Not really when you read the P.S," I tell them.

_P.S. Okay, I know this is not such a time for me to say this because it sounds terrible, but this letter does sound a lot depressing. Hopefully, your dad won't be dead because then that means that the only family that you've got left (if James, Lily, and Remus are dead too) is Petunia and that fat arsehole of a pig Vernon. I honestly do not know how that dump's tool could be found with all that fat flopping above._

Harry and Ron roar with laughter by the time I finish the last word. Hermione lips twitch up into a smile.

Before I can open my mouth to word what my mum wrote, the wheels of the train slow down signalling the arrival at King's Cross Station.

"You've got to be kidding me," Ron moans as the train slows to a stop.

"I'll read it to you guys next time," I say smiling at them and then glance down at the page. 'Hmm…I think I'll be looking at this page.'

Getting to my feet, I grab my trunk and stuff my mum's journal inside while Harry, Ron, Hermione go and grab their belongings. With my trunk in one hand, I get off the train. I notice Harry clutching the letter from Sirius tightly in his hand as we step back through the barrier of platform nine and three-quarters. We push our trolleys towards Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and I give them both hugs goodbye. I give Ron and Hermione hugs also.

"You're coming to the World Cup also, Ki. So don't go making other plans," Ron says.

"I promise, Ron. I won't make any other plans."

Turning around my eyes lock onto Cedric as he comes toward me with a woman by his side.

"Ki, this is my mum," Cedric says, introducing us. "Mum, this is Kia."

"Kia, it is finally great to meet you," his mother says, pulling me into a hug. "Cedric has been talking about you."

"It's great to finally meet you too, Mrs. Diggory," I say.

"It would be great if you came over to our house during the holidays for a week or so," she says. "And Amos can get tickets to the Quidditch Cup."

"I already promised another friend of mine to go to the Quidditch Cup, but I'll come and visit," I say. She nods her head in understanding.

"Well, you can see Cedric and Amos when you go to the Quidditch Cup. I wouldn't really enjoy it myself but those two are obsessed with Quidditch," she says. "But Amos would really like to meet you before the holidays end, so you just come by anytime you want to."

"Thanks," I tell her appreciatively. Looking over at Cedric, I give him a smile and he wraps me up into a hug.

"I'll be seeing you later," he says.

"You definitely will be," I say, grinning at him. Whirling around, I see Harry heading towards some beefy looking man. The man's eyes narrow in my direction as walk towards them while pushing my trolley.

"You're not going to leave without saying 'see you'?" I ask with an eyebrow raised. Harry looks over at me with a grin and I reach out, pulling him into a hug.

"See you, Harry," I tell him, and make way to turn around but I feel somebody pulling me back.

"Listen, Ki. I know you didn't want Ron and Hermione worrying about it on the train so that's why I didn't bring it up," Harry whispers, lowly so that the man can't hear. "I want you to take gold out of my vault."

"No, Harry. I'm fine because I already have a plan. And it's a pretty damn good plan if you ask me," I say, and I feel the glare from the man intensify. "Trust me, Harry."

"I do," he says, "but if your _plan_ doesn't work then do what I said."

I nod my head and my eyes catch the letter that his hands still bear, then travel to the man beside him and back at Harry.

"Remember what my mum said," I say, motioning towards the man. Harry chokes back his laughter. Gazing upon the man, he stares at me in a rather rude way. "And I definitely see what she means."

Before either of the two can say anything to me, I begin to push my trolley away but I can hear a few words between them.

"Who the ruddy hell is she?" I hear the man ask abruptly.

"Her? That's Kia Black, one of my best friends. This letter's from her father who happens to be my godfather. You should know who her father is. He is on the run…"

**A/N: Well, there it is! The last chapter for this story! Thank you so much for reading and 'Kirsten Black and the Goblet of Fire' will be out by tomorrow and I'll be sure of it! **


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